As the 17th Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), Dr. Mehmet Oz enters the role at a pivotal moment for health care in America. Appointed by President Trump, the former cardiothoracic surgeon and television personality assumes leadership of the nation’s largest health care agency — responsible for delivering services to more than 160 million Americans through Medicare, Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), and the Health Insurance Marketplace.

In a statement marking his first week on the job, Dr. Oz committed to advancing President Trump’s “Make America Healthy Again” agenda by modernizing CMS programs, empowering patients, reducing regulatory burdens for providers, and shifting the health care system toward prevention and wellness. While these priorities are encouraging — and align with long-standing goals of the home care community — his vision notably excludes any direct reference to home health care or home- and community-based services (HCBS).

While Dr. Oz emphasized improving health outcomes, transparency, and accountability, his statement focused largely on structural changes to Medicare and Medicaid rather than specific care delivery models. Despite the growing reliance on home-based care — particularly in the aftermath of COVID-19 — there was no reference to home health care or the essential role of caregivers who serve patients in their homes every day.

Dr. Oz outlined several agency-wide initiatives that could impact the home care provider community, even if indirectly:

• Reducing administrative burden on providers — potentially aligning with home health industry calls to streamline documentation requirements.
• Shifting from “sick care” to wellness and prevention — an approach that aligns with in-home chronic disease management and early intervention.
• Focusing on data, transparency, and accountability — themes that will require home health providers to continue demonstrating outcomes and value.

Still, without a clear commitment to bolstering the home health care infrastructure — especially in the wake of years of proposed reimbursement cuts and ongoing threats to claw back payments for care already delivered — providers remain uncertain about how their vital services align with CMS’s vision for reform under Dr. Oz’s leadership.

We look forward to hearing more from Administrator Oz and hope that future CMS communications will include concrete commitments to supporting and investing in HCBS.