Dr. Oz pushes AI avatars as a fix for rural health care. Not so fast, critics say

Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Mehmet Oz speaks at an Action for Progress event about plans to transform behavioral health, on Feb. 2, 2026, in Washington, D.C.

Dr. Mehmet Oz, who heads the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, is advancing a $50 billion plan to modernize rural health care.

(Image credit: Heather Diehl)