UPPER MACUNGIE TWP., Pa. — Heart surgeon, former TV pitchman, and now administrator for the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Dr. Mehmet Oz was the featured speaker at the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce healthcare summit.

The gathering, which brought together politicians, bigwigs in the healthcare industry, and members of the local business community, was held at the Aster Event Center. Oz spoke to a packed house.

“Actually, I came here as a recruiting trip, because if any of you want to come join us, we’re hiring, and we’re looking for top tier folks who have experience and domain expertise in health care,” he told the crowd. “It’s with those kinds of people that we can affect some of the changes, because our biggest enemy in health care is actually nihilism. People don’t think we can fix it, but there’s so much we can do to address it.”

And, according to Oz, the Trump administration is addressing the many problems within the U.S. healthcare system by cutting waste and fraud, revamping the prior-authorization process, and empowering patients, among other initiatives.

But not everyone is on-board with those changes. Protesters who gathered outside the venue said Oz’s policies hurt marginalized groups, like the transgender community. Earlier this year, CMS proposed banning the use of Medicare, Medicaid, or Affordable Care Act funding for certain gender-related procedures and therapies.

“If we really believe that healthcare is a human right, then we need to guarantee it to every person in the U.S.,” said Kevin Wilson, one of about two dozen people who stood outside in the cold, holding signs with sayings like, “Just Say No to Oz,” and “We Will Not be Erased.”

Another speaker, U.S. Senator David McCormick, said there’s no question that our system has an affordability problem: “It’s about two to three times more expensive for an American to get healthcare than for anybody else in any developed, advanced economy.”

McCormick said the Senate will soon take up debate on expiring healthcare subsidies.

You can watch the entirety of the 2025 Lehigh Valley Healthcare Summit here on wfmz.com.

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2025 Lehigh Valley Healthcare Summit