Dr. Mehmet Oz, President Donald Trump's pick to lead the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, faced a confirmation hearing Friday before the Senate Finance Committee.
Oz, a doctor and former television host whose nomination to lead CMS has put him in the political spotlight for the first time since his unsuccessful bid for a U.S. Senate seat three years ago, faced tough questions from Democrats on the 27-member committee, which will vote whether to move his nomination to a floor vote in front of the entire Senate.
Oz talked about his accomplishments as a physician and TV host during his opening statement, noting the 10 Emmys his show won, and contended Trump "wants to love and cherish Medicare and Medicaid."
Hassan challenged Oz, in particular, on his past promotion of green coffee extract as a possible weight-loss supplement.
"You may think magic is make-believe, but this little bean has scientists saying they've found the magic weight-loss cure for every body type — it's green coffee extract," Oz said on a 2012 episode of his show.
A study Oz cited at the time was later retracted, and an investigation by the Federal Trade Commission found the data behind the product was "deeply flawed."
Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren, in particular, has been increasingly vocal ahead of the hearing about Oz's financial ties to health care companies that he will now oversee in his role at CMS and his past comments about privatizing Medicare, one of the programs he'll manage.
She also criticized what she calls his "hostile record" on abortion rights, referring to Oz's comments on the campaign trail that a woman's decision to get an abortion should be made by her, her doctor and "local political leaders."
"The implication that elected officials should be involved in a woman's personal health treatment decision is terrifying and antithetical to patient health," Warren wrote to Oz on Thursday.
Republicans came to Oz's defense and also pushed their agenda for the agency, specifically in upholding the Hyde Amendment.
The amendment has banned the use of any federal funds for abortion, only allowing exceptions to pay for the procedure when the life of the mother is at risk or the pregnancy results from rape or incest. Medicaid, for example, does not cover abortion services beyond those exceptions — though some states use their own funds to do so.
Sen. Steve Daines of Montana, argued that Biden took action to expand abortion access in ways that were "explicitly in violation of the Hyde Amendment."
"If you're confirmed, will you commit to upholding the Hyde Amendment and ensuring that our federal health care programs are not providing abortions on the taxpayers' dime?" he asked Oz.
The nominee said he would.
"The implication that elected officials should be involved in a woman's personal health treatment decision is terrifying and antithetical to patient health," Warren wrote to Oz on Thursday.
Oz also came under fire over his tax returns after Democrats said that he underpaid on Social Security and Medicare taxes by using a limited liability loophole.
"Dr. Oz's position is counter to the position of the Department of Treasury and results in him not paying into Social Security and Medicare, the very healthcare program he hopes to manage," Democratic Senate Finance Committee staff wrote in the memo, circulated to the committee.
"He avoided hundreds of thousands of dollars in Social Security and Medicare taxes in the years reviewed," the staff wrote. They reviewed Oz's taxes from 2021 to 2023.
The committee staff reviewed Oz's tax returns and met with the nominee, his accountant and his lawyers earlier in March. Oz and his team maintained that he was not liable for the taxes the Democrats said he owed, according to the memo.
Oz in the past has expressed support for Medicare Advantage, a Medicare-approved plan run by private insurance companies. The plan must follow rules set by Medicare, such as limiting out-of-pocket expenses and covering all services covered by traditional Medicare.
"Medicare Advantage has definitely become a much more important part of the Medicare program. It's now the most popular coverage option within the program," Joe Albanese, a senior policy analyst at the right-leaning think tank Paragon Health Institute, told ABC News.
"It's grown very rapidly in popularity over the past decade," he continued. "And that's going change the way that the government interacts with Medicare and Medicare beneficiaries."
In an op-ed co-written for Forbes in June 2020, Oz said Medicare Advantage offers better care due to there being competing plans. He said Medicare Advantage could also be expanded to all Americans who are not on Medicaid, which would be funded by a 20% payroll tax. He has also promoted Medicare Advantage on his show, "The Dr. Oz Show."