Mehmet Oz, President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, affirmed his opposition to abortion and gender-affirming care for trans people, including for minors, in a letter to Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., that Hawley posted online Monday. The letter, which Hawley posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, came after Hawley pressed Oz on past comments Oz made on his television show “The Dr. Oz Show” supporting gender-affirming care for trans people and children. “Since I hosted the Dr. Oz show, medical research on this topic has shown that previous clinical approaches were not sufficiently evidence-based” and contained inconsistencies, Oz wrote in the letter, which was posted on social media on International Transgender Day of Visibility. Oz wrote that he looks forward to administering Trump’s policies, including an executive order that makes it the policy of the U.S. government not to fund or promote gender-affirming care, including puberty blockers, for anyone under 19 years of age. The order is being challenged in court. The order specifically directs agencies to take action in Medicare, Medicaid and other health plans, which Oz would oversee if confirmed by the Senate. Oz said he would also work with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on another directive under the order to “publish a review of the existing literature on best practices for promoting the health of children who assert gender dysphoria, rapid-onset gender dysphoria, or other identity-based confusion.” In the letter, Oz said he also supports Trump’s executive order directing the termination of funding to educational programs that allow trans girls and women to participate in women’s sports. Oz also said he would not issue a national coverage determination for gender-transition surgery or hormone or puberty blockers. National coverage determinations are issued by CMS to require Medicare to pay for a service. Hawley also asked if Oz supports the Supreme Court’s 2022 decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, which, for five decades, held that there was a constitutional right to abortion. Oz replied "yes." He also walked back a comment he made in 2019 questioning state laws banning abortion after the detection of fetal cardiac activity. Asked if he stood by that comment, Oz wrote: “I am unequivocally pro-life, and if confirmed, I look forward to advancing a pro-life agenda at CMS” and that he commits to “making sound decisions based on conservative principles and the facts.” Oz also said he would support waivers from states allowing them to cut “abortion-performing clinics” from state Medicaid programs. The first Trump administration approved a waiver from the state of Texas allowing it to cut Planned Parenthood from its Medicaid program. Providers are prohibited by federal law from using federal funding for abortion, but anti-abortion advocates argue that funding is fungible and could indirectly support the procedure. Oz also weighed in on the debate of whether a 1986 federal law know as the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act, which requires hospitals to provide stabilizing care to patients in order to receive Medicare payments, applies to abortions. The Biden administration said it did, and hospitals must provide abortions when necessary to stabilize a patient. Oz wrote that he believes CMS can “simultaneously enforce EMTALA and respect the many state laws protecting the unborn and the right of conscience in healthcare.” Hawley had said he needed answers from Oz before deciding whether to vote for his confirmation, which could occur as soon as this week. Hawley said on social media that he appreciated Oz’s replies, but did not indicate how he would vote.
