Mehmet Oz Supports Trump’s Medicare Fraud Efforts and Criticizes Gavin Newsom
Mehmet Oz Defends Trump Administration’s Medicare Fraud Crackdown
LOS ANGELES – Mehmet Oz has publicly supported the Trump administration’s vigorous efforts to combat Medicare and Medicaid fraud, asserting that investigations have revealed extensive abuse in these programs. In an exclusive interview with FOX 11, Oz, the current administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), criticized California Governor Gavin Newsom for the state’s alleged inadequacies in addressing fraud within taxpayer-funded healthcare programs.
Oz emphasized that fraud investigations throughout the country, including California, have exposed significant misconduct. "We’ve got major issues in America with Medicare and Medicaid," he remarked.
Rejecting accusations of politically motivated targeting against California, Oz articulated his commitment to the well-being of Californians. "This is not about Washington versus California. This is about protecting the people of California," he stated.
The interview followed a visit to MacArthur Park, where Oz witnessed a large-scale Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) operation aimed at curbing local drug-related activity. "I wanted to make sure I was witnessing with my own eyes what the DEA was doing with the U.S. attorney," he noted.
As administrator of CMS, which provides healthcare coverage for over 150 million Americans, Oz has shifted his focus to combating fraud that he estimates costs taxpayers billions annually. "We have for many years believed fraud to be rampant," he explained.
Oz expressed astonishment at the extent of fraud uncovered by federal investigators, describing it as both egregious and blatant. "They weren’t scared anymore," he said, referring to the perpetrators of these schemes.
Recently, the Trump administration launched investigations into personal care services funded by Medicaid, criticizing cases where family members or neighbors are improperly compensated for simple tasks. "You’re going to have your kid carry your groceries up the stairs and get paid for it," he observed, pointing out the absurdity of such reimbursements.
Oz also countered claims from Newsom and other Democratic leaders alleging that the federal focus disproportionately targets blue states. "I’m not focused on blue or red. I’m just going where the problems are," he asserted.
His previous visits to areas like Van Nuys have highlighted numerous hospice centers accused of being involved in a multibillion-dollar fraud scheme. Following one such visit, Newsom filed a civil rights lawsuit against the federal government, alleging discrimination against Armenian communities. Oz dismissed the allegations, suggesting that Newsom’s concerns were an attempt to deflect attention from the real issues.
In a stark critique of Newsom’s governance, Oz assigned a grade of "F." "How can you tolerate this much fraud, pretend it doesn’t exist, and then, while it’s all going down, try to obfuscate by confusing people about what the real challenges are?" he asked.
Promising continued enforcement efforts in Los Angeles, Oz stated, "I’m coming back. You don’t clean up MacArthur Park in one visit, and you don’t clean up hospice by sending out a few letters. We’ll keep coming back until this mess is cleaned up."
Newsom’s office has consistently pushed back against the federal government’s claims, labeling the investigations as politically charged and asserting that California is actively working on its own fraud prevention measures.
