Dr. Mehmet Oz Addresses Medicare and Healthy Eating in Philadelphia

PHILADELPHIA — Dr. Mehmet Oz, the new administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, visited Philadelphia on Monday to promote healthy eating and the administration’s mission to improve American health. During an event at the Second Antioch Baptist Church, Oz emphasized the importance of addressing high blood pressure, which he called the ‘silent killer.’

Speaking with CBS News Philadelphia’s health reporter, Stephanie Stahl, Oz shared his commitment to protecting the 160 million Americans who rely on Medicare and Medicaid. He highlighted the urgent need to control hypertension, stating, ‘It’s called the silent killer since most people have no idea they have it until they have a stroke or a heart attack.’

Oz participated in the American Heart Association‘s campaign, ‘Team Up to Take Down High Blood Pressure,’ collaborating with doctors from Penn Medicine. He discussed how healthy eating can play a significant role in managing blood pressure and overall health. The church also operates as a food pantry, allowing Oz to underline the message of ‘using food as medicine.’

“If you eat real food, food that comes out of the ground looking the way it looks when you eat it, that is the recipe for a healthy diet,” he stated.

However, the Trump administration’s plans to cut food stamps and Medicaid, programs designed to support those with limited incomes, have raised concerns among community leaders. When asked how the administration plans to improve Americans’ health amidst these proposed cuts, Oz replied, ‘If we want to improve the health of the country, we have to make it easy to do the right thing.’

Oz also focused on reducing fraud, waste, and abuse in the health system, suggesting that these efforts could save millions and improve efficiency. He was questioned by Stahl about guarantees for vulnerable populations in light of potential funding cuts. Oz responded, ‘It’s our duty, if we’re a great people — and we are a great people — to do just that,’ though he did not provide specifics on how these assurances would be implemented.