As Medicare’s open enrollment period draws to a close, Dr. Mehmet Oz, the Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), is encouraging older Americans to act quickly to seize opportunities for significant healthcare savings and enhanced coverage.
In a conversation with Breitbart News Daily, Dr. Oz urged the 69 million Medicare beneficiaries to take advantage of the last few days before enrollment ends on Sunday, December 7. He emphasized the importance of selecting a plan that suits their personal healthcare needs, including their preferred doctors and medications. Waiting another year, he noted, could mean missing out on potential savings. “It’s yours. You own it,” he stated. “I work for you. You pay my salary.”
For assistance, individuals can call 1-800-MEDICARE or visit Medicare.Gov to start the registration process. Dr. Oz praised the improved design of the site, crediting Amy Gleason for leading its tech transformation and Joe Gebbia, co-founder of Airbnb, who is currently overseeing the National Design Studio. He mentioned that this redesign initiative was established under a presidential order by Donald Trump.
Dr. Oz also highlighted the development of Trump Rx, a new platform aimed at helping consumers find the best prices for medications, aligned with the administration’s Most Favored Nation Pharmaceutical Pricing Agreement. He stressed that these drug pricing reforms reflect a significant achievement of the Trump administration’s health policy, noting that Americans were paying considerably more for the same medications than their European counterparts. With a “most-favored-nation” pricing approach, the government is negotiating aggressively with major pharmaceutical companies to lower costs for American consumers. He mentioned that five significant pharmaceutical firms have already agreed to these terms, with more likely in the pipeline.
Oz didn’t shy away from discussing the U.S. approach to drug pricing in relation to the UK, where he criticized previous tactics involving “secret analysis” to undervalue new drugs and effectively demand kickbacks. According to him, by leveraging the threat of tariffs, the U.S. has managed to encourage Britain to increase its spending on medicines, in line with efforts to create a fairer system and alleviate financial pressures on American consumers.
Despite some frustrations about the slower pace of federal operations compared to the private sector, Oz expressed admiration for the commitment and talent of CMS employees. “Federal employees are giving up better-paying jobs on the outside to come in and make a difference,” he remarked. “What they truly desire is the privilege and opportunity to work.”
In November 2024, Dr. Oz was appointed by President Donald Trump to lead CMS, working alongside Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. The President emphasized their mission to tackle systemic health challenges and chronic diseases while praising Dr. Oz as a “world-class communicator” with a solid background in both medicine and media.
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