Mehmet Oz, President Trump’s pick to lead the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), dodged questions from Democrats on Friday about whether he supported potential cuts to Medicaid.
Instead, the heart surgeon-turned-celebrity physician focused much of his testimony before the Senate Finance Committee about how he wants to make Americans healthier and improve the efficiency of the health system.
Oz, who ran unsuccessfully for Senate in 2022, spoke in broad generalities during his confirmation hearing, using the flair of a seasoned television host to avoid being pinned down on specifics on how he would run the $1.7 trillion agency. Ahead of the hearing, Democrats noted how little experience he has in the federal government or the intricacies of health policy.
CMS provide health coverage for 68 million people on Medicare and 79 million people on Medicaid. It also regulates the Affordable Care Act’s insurance exchanges for individual coverage for 24 million people.
In line with the “Make America Healthy Again” movement led by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Oz said the U.S. should be “rethinking our outdated approach” to treating the symptoms of a disease rather than the underlying cause.
“We have a generational opportunity to fix our health care system and help people stay healthy for longer,” Oz told senators.
“This public health crisis threatens our national security. Why? Because it adds to the national debt that is defeating us from within,” Oz said. “Let’s be aggressive in modernizing our tools to reduce fraud, waste and abuse. This will stop unscrupulous people from stealing from vulnerable Americans and extend the life of the Medicare trust fund.”
But under consistent questioning from Democrats about his plans for Medicaid, the joint state and federal program for low-income Americans, Oz declined to outright oppose any cuts.
Republicans in Congress don’t have an official plan for Medicaid but they are eyeing potentially massive cuts as part of a budget plan to pay for an extension of President Trump’s first-term tax cuts.
Trump has said he won’t cut Medicaid or Medicare, though his billionaire adviser Elon Musk has said entitlement spending is being targeted.
“Since you cherish Medicaid, will you agree to oppose cuts in the Medicaid program?” asked Sen. Ron Wyden (Ore.), the top Democrat on the Finance Committee.
“All my colleagues want to know: Are you going to cut Medicaid?” asked Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.).
Sen. Ben Ray Lujan (D-N.M.) asked Oz if he would oppose Medicaid cuts if they hit rural hospitals.
“You are going to need to object to the Republican health plan,” Sen. Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.) said.
Oz said only that he wants to ensure there are providers who will accept Medicaid patients, and that they are paid fairly under the program.
The Trump nominee said he wants to make sure Medicaid is “viable at every level.”
Oz gave a glimpse into how he views Medicaid by saying he supports work requirements, and suggested ObamaCare’s Medicaid expansion has grown the program far beyond its original purpose.
“For some states it made sense, for some it didn’t,” Oz said.
“The rapid expansion of the required expenses of monies for Medicaid is far beyond what was ever envisioned when ACA was originally passed,” he added. “It is one of the ways we can do better.”
But Oz suggested work requirements can be implemented without the onerous paperwork requirements that have been a hallmark of state attempts in the past.
“I don’t think you need to use paperwork to prove a work requirement, and I don’t think that should be used as an obstacle, a disingenuous effort to block people from getting on Medicaid,” Oz said.
In a notable shift, Oz indicated he thinks private Medicare Advantage insurers are being overpaid by the government.
The U.S. is “paying more for Medicare Advantage than we’re paying for regular Medicare, so it’s upside down,” Oz said.
Responding to a question from Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Oz acknowledged some of the practices amounted to “cheating,” like visiting patients at home to diagnose them with a condition that doesn’t need treatment.
“It doesn’t just help the scoundrels who are stealing from the vulnerable, it’s actually hurting the people trying to take care of those vulnerable populations,” Oz said.
Previously, Oz championed Medicare Advantage plans and once advocated for expanding Medicare Advantage to all Americans who are not on Medicaid, a “Medicare Advantage For All” plan.
