The US Senate approved heart surgeon Mehmet Öz’s appointment as the Director of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) by a vote of 53 “yes.”

The upper chamber of the US Congress, the Senate, gave its approval to Mehmet Öz, whom President Donald Trump nominated for the position of federal health agency director. In the Senate vote, heart surgeon Öz secured the position of Director of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) with 53 “yes” votes against 45 “no” votes. Öz, who will oversee the highest agencies providing health services to the elderly and low-income groups in the country, became the first Turkish person to be appointed to this position.

News about Dr. Öz lightening or dyeing his hair blonde similar to President Donald Trump during the Senate Finance Committee session on March 14th had surfaced in the media. During the live YouTube broadcast of the session, one user asked, “Who is this new blonde?” while another wrote, “Öz needs to dye his hair again.”

DEMOCRATS WORRIED ABOUT POTENTIAL CUTS IN MEDICAID According to The New York Times (NYT), while Republicans approved Öz’s management of Medicare and Medicaid, which provides health insurance services to about half of the US citizens, Democrats opposed it. Before the Senate vote held yesterday, in the hearings conducted in the committee, Democratic lawmakers expressed their concerns regarding potential cuts in Medicaid, highlighting that this situation could deprive many individuals of health coverage. Furthermore, Öz’s approval in the Senate remained uncertain until the last moment. Republican Senator Josh Hawley from Missouri stated that he would approve Mehmet Öz’s nomination this week because Öz told him that he “will no longer support transgender child health and care services and is against abortion.” Hawley had previously stated that he would not support Öz by drawing attention to these issues.

Reports in the US media also pointed out that Öz’s directorship coincided with a turbulent period for healthcare programs under the federal downsizing that occurred during the Trump era. It was mentioned that during this period at the CMS, approximately 300 employees are expected to be laid off to reduce healthcare service costs. ÖZ: ENSURING MEDICAID IS FEASIBLE IS IMPORTANT In his speech during the hearing organized by the Senate Finance Committee last month, Öz emphasized the necessity of ensuring the feasibility of healthcare insurance programs in the US. Öz stated, “I want to ensure that patients have the resources to protect them if they get sick today or in the future. The key to preserving Medicaid is to ensure that it is feasible at all levels.” Reflecting on his past as a physician and the 10 Emmy Awards he won, Öz highlighted the importance of improving Americans’ life expectancy within the goals of the CMS agency he aims to lead.