Dr. Oz defends Trump administration's crackdown on Medicare fraud, blasts Gavin Newsom
Mehmet Oz defends Trump's crackdown on Medicare fraud
Mehmet Oz defends the Trump administration’s aggressive crackdown on Medicare and Medicaid fraud, saying investigations have uncovered widespread abuse.
LOS ANGELES - Dr. Mehmet Oz is defending the Trump administration’s aggressive crackdown on Medicare and Medicaid fraud — while sharply criticizing Gov. Gavin Newsom and California’s handling of alleged abuse within taxpayer-funded healthcare programs.
What they're saying:
In an exclusive interview with FOX 11, Dr. Oz, who now leads the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services under President Donald Trump, said fraud investigations across the country and California have uncovered what he described as widespread and blatant abuse.
"We’ve got major issues in America with Medicare and Medicaid," Dr. Oz said.
Dr. Oz rejected claims that the administration is unfairly targeting California or Democratic-led states.
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"This is not about Washington versus California," he said. "This is about protecting the people of California."
Local perspective:
The interview came one day after FOX 11 accompanied Dr. Oz to MacArthur Park during a large-scale DEA operation targeting drug activity in the area.
"I wanted to make sure I was witnessing with my own eyes what the DEA was doing with the U.S. attorney," he said.
As CMS administrator, Dr. Oz oversees healthcare coverage programs serving more than 150 million Americans. But in recent months, he said his primary focus has shifted toward identifying fraud schemes he believes are costing taxpayers billions of dollars.
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"When you first got this role with the Trump administration, did you think that would be the case?" FOX 11’s Matthew Seedorff asked.
"I knew it was one of the key things we had to address," Dr. Oz said. "We have for many years believed fraud to be rampant."
Dr. Oz said he has been stunned by what federal investigators have uncovered.
"I’m shocked at how egregious it is and how blatant the fraud was," he said. "They weren’t scared anymore."
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The Trump administration has recently opened an investigation into personal care services funded through Medicaid programs. Dr. Oz criticized cases where family members or neighbors are allegedly paid to assist with basic household tasks.
"You’re going to have your kid carry your groceries up the stairs and get paid for it," Dr. Oz said, adding that some California programs reimburse caregivers about $17 an hour.
"So our tax dollars are going to have people pay them to bring their groceries inside?" FOX 11 asked.
"Yeah, or pay their neighbor’s kids to carry groceries," he said.
"And here’s the thing — states let it happen because it’s a feature, not a flaw," he added.
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Oz also pushed back against criticism from Newsom and other Democrats who have accused the administration of focusing disproportionately on blue states.
"I’m not focused on blue or red," Dr. Oz said. "I’m just going where the problems are."
The backstory:
Earlier this year, Dr. Oz toured parts of Van Nuys, pointing to dozens of hospice centers clustered within a few blocks, which federal officials allege are tied to a multibillion-dollar fraud scheme.
RELATED COVERAGE: Feds cracking down on healthcare fraud
The DOJ’s "Operation Never Say Die" unsealed charges against 15 individuals in a $60 million Medicare hospice scheme.
Following that visit, Newsom filed a civil rights lawsuit accusing the federal government of unfairly targeting Armenians.
Dr. Oz dismissed the accusation.
SUGGESTED: California dismantles $267 million hospice fraud ring in 'Operation Skip Chase'; 21 charged
"He didn’t think I was targeting the Armenian community," Dr. Oz said of Newsom. "He thought they could do what many folks are being preyed on to do, which is put a smokescreen up and hope nobody notices."
When asked how he would grade Newsom’s performance as governor, Dr. Oz responded with a single letter.
"F," he said. "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?"
The other side:
FOX 11 reached out to Newsom's office to get the governor's response to Dr. Oz's remarks but could not be reached for comment.
What's next:
Dr. Oz said the administration’s enforcement efforts in Los Angeles are far from over.
"I’m coming back," he said. "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 previously pushed back on the federal government’s claims, calling the investigations politically motivated and saying California has its own fraud prevention efforts underway.
The Source: This report is based on an exclusive interview conducted by FOX 11’s Matthew Seedorff with CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz. The information is further supported by direct observations of federal DEA operations in Los Angeles, previous court filings involving Governor Gavin Newsom’s legal challenges against the federal government, and previous FOX 11 reports.