ICYMI: Dr. Oz’s Conflicts of Interest Could Enrich Him at the Expense of Millions of Americans Arrow

Key Point: "Mehmet Oz, the nominee to run the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, co-founded health benefits company ZorroRX with his son last year, according to now-hidden source code … Ethics experts, lawyers and health care analysts say his ties to a health benefits company that could profit off the federal drug program entangle him in a potential conflict of interest."

Washington Post: Health benefits company co-founded by Dr. Oz could be a conflict of interest

By Lauren Weber and Caitlin Gilbert

• Mehmet Oz, the nominee to run the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, co-founded health benefits company ZorroRX with his son last year, according to now-hidden source code and a blog post on the company's website.

• [A]s use of the government drug pricing program has exploded, health care analysts say the unregulated system has driven up health care costs and is failing to help vulnerable patients, all while allowing companies such as ZorroRX to thrive.

• As head of CMS, Oz would lead an agency that could directly influence how much money hospitals - and in turn companies like ZorroRX - make from the federal system. Ethics experts, lawyers and health care analysts say his ties to a health benefits company that could profit off the federal drug program entangle him in a potential conflict of interest.

• "Because of his son's affiliation with this entity, you wouldn't want hospitals to be relying on the name of Mehmet Oz or his son to think somehow they wouldn't be held accountable by Oz," said Virginia Canter, chief counsel for State Democracy Defenders Fund, a watchdog group. "I'm concerned about the use of public office for private gain."

• Oz did not disclose his involvement with ZorroRX in his financial forms submitted to the Office of Government Ethics.

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