Newly appointed Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz has revealed widespread fraud, waste, and abuse within America’s healthcare safety net programs.
Speaking Thursday on America’s Newsroom with Bill Hemmer, Dr. Oz outlined an urgent agenda aimed at protecting vulnerable Americans and restoring accountability to Medicare, Medicaid, and the health insurance exchanges.
“Right now, my main focus, without any question, is to wage a war on fraud, waste, and abuse — because that’s what’s required. All hands on deck,” Dr. Oz said.
Trump’s Sovereign Wealth Fund: What Could It Mean For Your Money?
Acting under President Donald Trump’s directive to “love and cherish Medicare and Medicaid,” Dr. Oz has mobilized a specialized “war room” within CMS. The unit is tasked with identifying, tracking, and recovering fraudulent payments siphoned from the healthcare programs.
“It’s a massive issue — hundreds of billions of dollars potentially out there,” Dr. Oz explained.
“Not all of it is going to be collected at once, but we’ve got a war room focused very much on things that are going to really bother you.”
He warned that some of the misuse rivals scandals involving foreign aid spending, noting, “If you thought USAID was a problem, some of the issues we are discovering — some of the things CMS has been funding through Medicare, Medicaid, and the exchanges — will bring a little shiver to you.”
.@DrOzCMS: “My mission is to protect the most vulnerable because I’ll tell you, as a heart surgeon, the most expensive care is bad care… right now, my main focus without any question is to wage a war on fraud, waste and abuse because that’s what’s required—all hands on deck.” pic.twitter.com/uLcQYQ3bE4
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) April 25, 2025
This Could Be the Most Important Video Gun Owners Watch All Year
Within a short span, Dr. Oz’s team has flagged tens of billions of dollars in questionable spending. Specific examples highlighted include:
- $1 billion in Medicare funds paid to individuals fraudulently registered across multiple states.
- $200 million spent on housekeeping services, outside the intended scope of Medicaid.
- $10 million diverted to student loan repayment programs instead of medical treatments.
- $14 million used for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives and labor union childcare benefits.
- 250,000 ineligible individuals improperly enrolled in the healthcare marketplace.
Dr. Oz emphasized that these discoveries were not accidental overpayments but rather the result of deliberate, organized fraud, some tied to foreign adversaries.
“The $31 million that I know of last week is a great example,” Dr. Oz said. “We stopped that money — using new technology, modernizing how Medicare and Medicaid work — from even leaving the building because we knew something was fishy about the bills.”
“These aren’t just small mistakes. These are organized criminal efforts to hurt our country, some launched by foreign countries. These are serious issues we are digging into — and that’s why we have this war room.”
Despite these efforts, some Democratic leaders have criticized Dr. Oz and the Trump administration.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer accused them of prioritizing “the billionaire class” over working Americans, while Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez claimed the administration was preparing cuts to veterans’ benefits and Medicaid services.
Dr. Oz rejected these allegations, reaffirming the administration’s commitment to safeguarding Medicare and Medicaid.
“President Trump has been very clear with me — he said it publicly — he wants to love and cherish, I’m quoting him, Medicare and Medicaid, these programs,” Dr. Oz stated.
He further reassured the public that the mission remains unchanged: supporting poor children, pregnant women, the elderly, and the disabled.
“We are focused on saving Medicaid. That’s what we have to do,” Dr. Oz said. “The existential threat is spending it into the ground so we don’t have the resources to take care of our most vulnerable.”
Dr. Oz’s early efforts signal a new era at CMS, where rooting out fraud and restoring fiscal responsibility have become top priorities.
Connect with Vetted Off-Duty Cops to Instantly Fulfill Your Security Needs