by Matthew Holloway | May 6, 2026 | News
By Matthew Holloway |
The Republican Party of Arizona announced Tuesday that Dr. Mehmet Oz, administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and a prominent figure in the “Make America Healthy Again” (MAHA) movement, will headline the party’s annual Legislative Salute event on May 9 in Mesa.
According to a press release from the Arizona Republican Party, the event, marking the revival of a longstanding party tradition, will be held at the Mesa Sheraton Hotel and will recognize Republican lawmakers in the Arizona Legislature.
“Dr. Oz, Administrator for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and a leader of the MAHA (Make America Healthy Again) movement, actively serves on the front lines in the battle against fraudsters who exploit the Medicaid system in primarily blue states and in Arizona under Democrat Governor Katie Hobbs,” the release stated. As reported by Fox News, Dr. Oz is actively investigating fraud, waste, and abuse in five states, with more to come, telling the outlet his concerns reach all fifty states. “We’ve written letters to Minnesota, California, a letter to Florida because we’re worried about the durable medical equipment fraud … New York, Maine, and there are more coming,” Dr. Oz told the outlet. He went on to cite evidence that foreign nationals from Cuba, Russia, and China are involved in fraud schemes all over the country.
“For years, the Republican Party of Arizona (AZGOP) has hosted the annual Legislative Salute to honor the hard-working Republicans in the Arizona Legislature who serve the public and fight waste, fraud, and abuse on the local level,” AZGOP Chair Sergio Arellano said in a statement. “After this year’s successful legislative session, we decided this was the right time to revive this great tradition.”
Arellano also referenced the Republican-backed $17.9 billion state budget proposal for fiscal year 2027. The budget features $1.45 billion in tax relief over four years and would spend approximately $800 million less than Governor Katie Hobbs’ opposing proposal.
“Republican legislators have delivered a budget that includes tax relief for Arizona residents,” Arellano stated. “They deserve recognition for their tremendous service to this state, and this event will provide an excellent opportunity for Republicans to come together and celebrate our conservative majority in the Legislature and make plans to keep it.”
Tickets for the event are available through the Arizona Republican Party.
Matthew Holloway is a senior reporter for AZ Free News. Follow him on X for his latest stories, or email tips to Matthew@azfreenews.com.
by Staff Reporter | Dec 23, 2025 | News
By Staff Reporter |
The federal government will no longer subsidize transgender procedures for either adults or children.
On Thursday, Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. issued a declaration prohibiting gender transition procedures as valid treatments for addressing gender dysphoria.
“Sex-rejecting procedures for children and adolescents are neither safe nor effective as a treatment modality for gender dysphoria, gender incongruence, or other related disorders in minors, and therefore, fail to meet professional recognized standards of health care. For the purposes of this declaration, ‘sex-rejecting procedures’ means pharmaceutical or surgical interventions, including puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and surgeries such as mastectomies, vaginoplasties, and other procedures, that attempt to align an individual’s physical appearance or body with an asserted identity that differs from the individual’s sex.”
The declaration cited the HHS evidence review on pediatric gender dysphoria care published in May as justification for the cessation of funds. As part of this evidence review, HHS invited peer reviews from other major medical associations. Among those invited, the American Academy of Pediatrics and Endocrine Society declined to participate. However, the American Psychiatric Association and eight other peer reviewers submitted their own reviews, which HHS published along with their own responses last month.
Further justification for the declaration came from evidence reviews and consensus by other European nations: the United Kingdom, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Norway, Italy, Brazil, and Australia.
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will also be proposing new rules barring hospitals which participate in Medicare and Medicaid from performing gender transition procedures, and prohibiting Medicaid from paying for those procedures.
The FDA issued warnings to around a dozen manufacturers of breast binders to cease marketing to children for gender dysphoria. Noncompliance would result in enforcement actions, including product seizures.
HHS will also be reversing the Biden administration’s efforts to make gender dysphoria a protected class within the federal definition of “disability.”
In a press conference on the declaration, Kennedy said medical professionals supportive of transgenderism had “betrayed” their oath and “moral obligation” to do no harm.
“This is not medicine, it is malpractice. We’re done with junk science driven by ideological pursuits, not the well-being of children,” said Kennedy. “Sex-rejecting procedures rob children of their futures.”
One report cited by HHS estimated that 2023 revenue for gender-transitioning drugs and surgeries exceeded $4.4 billion, a figure which is on track to exceed $7 billion by 2030.
CMS Administrator Mehmet Oz said children were sold a “dishonest narrative” about gender transitions as healthcare.
“You know what you get when you mix politics and medicine? Politics. There is no medicine left,” said Oz.
53 percent of children are in Medicaid or CHIP programs.
Oz offered a non-comprehensive list of recurring health problems within gender transition patients: puberty blockers associated with reduced bone density, altered brain development, lifelong disrupted sexual dysfunction; cross-sex hormones associated with infertility, loss of sexual function, cardiovascular issues, and long-term endocrine problems; and gender transition surgeries associated with disfiguration, pain, and mental health troubles.
Oz pointed out the high costs of the gender transition surgeries, offering examples of a vaginoplasty ($60,000) and phalloplasty ($150,000).
HHS estimates these bans will result in $250 million in savings for the taxpayer.
AZ Free News is your #1 source for Arizona news and politics. You can send us news tips using this link.
by Elizabeth Troutman | Feb 13, 2024 | Education, News
By Elizabeth Troutman |
Former Pennsylvania Senate Candidate Dr. Mehmet Oz spoke about health and wellness at a public elementary school on Monday.
Oz was joined by State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne and former NFL Players Eric Swann and Darryl Clack at Kenilworth School near downtown Phoenix on Monday morning at 11 a.m.
The group discussed initiatives to improve school health and wellness.
Oz is a TV personality, physician, and professor emeritus of cardiothoracic surgery at Columbia University. The son of Turkish immigrants, Oz ran as the Republican candidate for one of Pennsylvania’s U.S. Senate seats, losing to John Fetterman.
“This generation of teens is facing unprecedented challenges in their physical health, behavioral health, and social needs,” Oz said. “Left unaddressed, this leads to an increased risk for mental illness, substance abuse, chronic diseases like diabetes and cancer, and a lower life expectancy. Combating these stats, we provide teens with the tools to become more physically and mentally resilient.”
Oz is the founder of HealthCorps, a non-profit foundation dedicated to improving student wellness. The Arizona Education Department will make resources from HealthCorps available on its online platform for educators soon.
“HealthCorps is the glue between the private sector and public agencies like the Arizona Department of Education,” the television star said. “I am grateful to Superintendent Horne for joining me in this effort.”
Oz and Horne are both Harvard University graduates.
Horne has served in every branch of the Arizona government. He served in the legislature and was chairman of the academic accountability committee. He was State Superintendent of Schools from 2003 to 2011, and then was elected State Attorney General.
“Dr. Oz and I share a passion for having health and wellness; and we need to do as much as possible to teach and encourage healthy eating habits, exercise, and other lifestyle choices that promote the physical and mental well-being of students,” Horne said at the event. “Healthy students also perform better academically. HealthCorps shares my focus on that mission as well as the value of giving students opportunities to explore careers in the healthcare field, where workers are badly needed.”
Horne served 24 years in the state’s third-largest school district board, 10 years as president.
Eric Swann was a defensive tackle for the Arizona Cardinals and the Carolina Panthers. He played in the NFL from 1991-2000.
Darryl Clack played college football for Arizona State University before being drafted by the Dallas Cowboys as a running back. He also played in the Canadian Football League for the Toronto Argonauts. In 1992, he signed with the Orlando Thunder of the World League of American Football.
Clack is the president and co-founder of SportMetric which emphasizes youth education, community involvement, and athletics.
Elizabeth Troutman is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send her news tips using this link.
