TV Personality and former surgeon Dr. Mehmet Oz was sworn in as Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) last month. On April 11, just a week prior to his swearing in, Dr. Oz announced that he would make sure that Medicare would not pay for “gender reassignment surgeries or hormone treatments in minors”. Before becoming a Republican candidate for US Senate in 2022, Oz had previously supported gender-affirming care for youth. In 2021, Oz had hosted a special episode of his show featuring the importance of pronouns, and had even had Jazz Jennings on his show as a guest in 2015, where he complimented her mother for supporting her transitioning. That’s in stark comparison to his actions after being confirmed, when he directed state Medicaid agencies to stop funding gender-affirming care. In an official CMS statement he said:
“Medicaid dollars are not to be used for gender reassignment surgeries or hormone treatments in minors—procedures that can cause permanent, irreversible harm, including sterilization.”
While Dr. Oz was one of over 400 Republican leaders who signed a letter urging the Senate to pass the Respect for Marriage Act, his inconsistent stance that seems to pander to ratings over science has many in the queer community scared for their health.
