Click in for more news from The Hill{beacon} Health Care Health Care   The Big Story Trump taps Dr. Oz to run Medicare, Medicaid agency The television personality and doctor would lead a powerful agency that oversees health coverage for more than 150 million people.© AP Trump announced Tuesday that Oz, a heart surgeon he previously endorsed for an unsuccessful 2022 Pennsylvania GOP Senate bid, was his pick to lead the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).  CMS regulates federal insurance policy and determines how much money hospitals and doctors receive in federal reimbursement. CMS operates Medicare, Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program and the federal Healthcare.gov ObamaCare exchange.    Oz has previously come under fire from other medical professionals for pushing unproven medical treatments, supplements and diets. Notably, he faced criticism in 2020 for promoting the anti-malaria drug hydroxychloroquine to treat COVID-19.      “There may be no Physician more qualified and capable than Dr. Oz to Make America Healthy Again,” Trump said in a statement, referring to the slogan pioneered by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the famous anti-vaccine activist Trump has tapped to lead the Department of Health and Human Services.    “Dr. Oz will be a leader in incentivizing Disease Prevention, so we get the best results in the World for every dollar we spend on Healthcare in our Great Country,” Trump said. “He will also cut waste and fraud within our Country’s most expensive Government Agency, which is a third of our Nation’s Healthcare spend, and a quarter of our entire National Budget.”   CMS administrator is a Senate-confirmed position and the next agency head is poised to be a key voice as Republicans eye potential changes to Medicaid.  The pick comes on the heels of several other top nominees for Trump's second administration, with the president-elect testing the loyalty of GOP senators with a number of controversial Cabinet picks.   Welcome to The Hill’s Health Care newsletter, we’re Nathaniel Weixel, Joseph Choi and Alejandra O'Connell-Domenech - every week we follow the latest moves on how Washington impacts your health.   Did someone forward you this newsletter? Subscribe here.  Essential Reads How policy will be impacting the health care sector this week and beyond:  Ben Carson says he won’t be surgeon general, is meeting with Trump soon to discuss futureBen Carson said he will not serve as surgeon general during President-elect Trump’s second term, dispelling reports he was being considered for a top health role.   Carson, a retired neurosurgeon who served as secretary of Housing and Urban Development during Trump’s first administration, said he plans to speak with Trump soon about his future.  “I am excited to speak with President Trump about how I will continue …  Full Story  Lung cancer survival rate improves: ResearchThe survival rate among those with lung cancer has improved by more than a quarter in the last five years, according to a new report. The findings from the American Lung Association’s latest “State of Lung Cancer” report shows a 26 percent increase in the survival rate. The improvement, per the organization, is partially due to screening measures that can detect the fatal illness much earlier. Four years ago, …  Full Story  California health officials investigating bird flu infection in child California health officials have identified a possible bird flu case in a child who was tested for mild upper respiratory symptoms, the state Department of Public Health announced Tuesday.  The child had no known contact with an infected animal, the agency said, but public health experts are investigating a possible exposure to wild birds. Human infections with bird flu viruses are rare, and no person-to-person spread …  Full Story   In Other News Branch out with a different read: Public awareness of 988 national suicide prevention hotline low, but growing: Poll Awareness of the 988 national suicide prevention hotline is growing since the number was updated, but it is still low, according to a new survey. The Annenberg Public Policy Center/SSRS poll, released Monday, found that only 15 percent of survey respondents named the correct number for the hotline, officially named the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, as of September this year. That number increased by 4 percent since … Full Story   Around the Nation Local and state headlines on health care: How Washington state’s health secretary is preparing for likely massive shift in federal health policy under RFK (The Spokesman-Review)  FTC, Indiana residents pressure state to block hospital merger (KFF Health News)  Deadline approaches for Pennsylvanians to sign up for state-assisted health insurance (PennLive)  What We're Reading Health news we've flagged from other outlets: Hospitals and insurers are optimistic Republicans will extend ACA subsidies (Stat)  RFK Jr.'s No. 1 hurdle to take on unhealthy food: Money (NBC News)  ‘Voters just didn’t care’: The abortion-rights movement grapples with Trump’s return (Politico)  What Others are Reading  Most read stories on The Hill right now: GOP senators deride idea of replacing FBI background checks for Trump nominees Senate Republicans are rejecting a proposal floated by some advisers to President-elect Trump to take the job of conducting background checks for high-level … Read more The Trump administration’s next target: naturalized US citizens  It appears that President-elect Donald Trump intends to keep his campaign promise to begin deporting at least 15 million people who, he claims, … Read more What People Think Opinion related to health submitted to The Hill: RFK Jr. threatens America’s health  You're all caught up. 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