{"id":1052410,"date":"2025-04-04T17:09:35","date_gmt":"2025-04-04T21:09:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/democrats.org\/?p=1052410"},"modified":"2025-04-04T17:09:36","modified_gmt":"2025-04-04T21:09:36","slug":"republicans-confirm-trumps-unqualified-pick-to-scam-americans-out-of-their-medicare-and-medicaid","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/democrats.org\/news\/republicans-confirm-trumps-unqualified-pick-to-scam-americans-out-of-their-medicare-and-medicaid\/","title":{"rendered":"Republicans Confirm Trump\u2019s Unqualified Pick To Scam Americans Out of Their Medicare and Medicaid\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In response to Senate Republicans confirming Dr. Mehmet Oz to be the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services administrator, <\/em>DNC Chair Ken Martin released the following statement: <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSenate Republicans are helping Donald Trump put an unqualified grifter in charge of gutting Medicare and Medicaid for millions of people. Just like Trump, Dr. Mehmet Oz doesn\u2019t give a damn about Americans\u2019 health care \u2014 he\u2019s more interested in pillaging Medicare and Medicaid to give <\/em>tax handouts to Trump\u2019s billionaire backers. Make no mistake: Our health care is not safe in Trump and Dr. Oz\u2019s hands.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Senate Republicans voted to confirm Dr. Mehmet Oz as the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services administrator after he said he\u2019d help Trump gut the programs. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Selena Simmons-Duffin, NPR<\/a>: \u201cNEW: Dr. Mehmet Oz confirmed as administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.<\/strong> Senate voted 53-45.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sen. Ron Wyden<\/a>: \u201cWill you agree \u2026 to oppose any cuts to the Medicaid program?\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr. Mehmet Oz: *Dodges*<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sen. Wyden: \u201cThat\u2019s not the question, doctor. The question is, will you oppose cuts to this program?\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr. Oz: *Dodges again*<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sen. Wyden: \u201cLet the record show that I asked a witness who said he cherishes this program, will you agree to oppose cuts? And he would not answer a yes or no question.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Garrett Haake<\/a>: <\/strong>\u201cBuried in Oz announcement is this line which suggests cuts to Medicare may be on the table<\/strong> \u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

REMINDER: Trump and Congressional Republicans are currently working to gut Medicaid and put health care on the chopping block for <\/strong>79 million<\/strong><\/a> Americans to pay for another tax handout for his billionaire backers.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

NBC News<\/a>: \u201cSenate Republicans released a new budget blueprint Wednesday that would pave the way for \u2026 making President Donald Trump\u2019s 2017 tax cuts permanent.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

KFF<\/a>: \u201cCongress is currently targeting up to $880 billion or more in federal Medicaid spending reductions<\/strong> \u2026 instructing the House Energy & Commerce Committee (E&C) to reduce the federal deficit by at least $880 billion over 10 years. \u2026 As a result, major cuts to Medicaid are the only way to meet the House\u2019s budget resolution required $880 billion (or more) in spending reductions.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr. Oz has a history of attacking Americans\u2019 health care \u2014 he has repeatedly promoted private insurance plans and said he would not have voted for the Affordable Care Act. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Blavity<\/a>: <\/strong>\u201c[Oz] explained his belief that \u2018health\u2019 is only a right for those who can afford insurance.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Lever<\/a>: \u201c[Dr. Oz\u2019s] program could move seniors and most Americans into private insurance plans that have been raising premiums and denying roughly one in ten medical claims,<\/strong> according to a recent government report finding that the plans frequently refuse to cover services required by Medicare.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

NOTUS<\/a>: \u201cCelebrity doctor Mehmet Oz \u2026 called for the ACA to be replaced with privately run Medicare Advantage plans for which he was once a paid spokesperson. \u2026 <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c\u2018I wouldn\u2019t have voted for it,<\/strong>\u2019 Oz tweeted in May.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Riddled with conflicts of interest, Dr. Oz would put Americans\u2019 hard-earned benefits at risk.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Washington Post<\/a>: \u201cHealth benefits company co-founded by Dr. Oz could be a conflict of interest\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEthics experts, lawyers and health care analysts say his ties to a health benefits company that could profit off the federal drug program entangle him in a potential conflict of interest.<\/strong> \u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOz did not disclose his involvement with ZorroRX<\/strong> in his financial forms submitted to the Office of Government Ethics.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

New York Times<\/a>: \u201cDr. Oz: How His Millions Collide With Medicare\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAn examination by The Times of his myriad financial interests revealed not only opaque ties with the industries he may soon regulate but also a coziness with health care companies that lawmakers have already highlighted in questioning his independence.<\/strong> \u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn 2023, he joined iHerb, an online seller of vitamins and supplements, as an adviser and spokesman. In the new financial filing, his investments in iHerb represent one of his largest financial holdings<\/strong>, worth anywhere from $5 million to $25 million.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In response to Senate Republicans confirming Dr. Mehmet Oz to be the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services administrator, DNC Chair Ken Martin released the following statement:  \u201cSenate Republicans are helping Donald Trump put an unqualified grifter in charge of gutting Medicare and Medicaid for millions of people. Just like Trump, Dr. Mehmet Oz doesn\u2019t […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":292,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1052410","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-press-release"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nRepublicans Confirm Trump\u2019s Unqualified Pick To Scam Americans Out of Their Medicare and Medicaid\u00a0 - Democrats<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/democrats.org\/news\/republicans-confirm-trumps-unqualified-pick-to-scam-americans-out-of-their-medicare-and-medicaid\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Democrats\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-04-04T21:09:35+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-04-04T21:09:36+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/democrats.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Black-Logo-White-Fill-For-Email.png?w=1024\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Adrianna Tomasello\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Adrianna Tomasello\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/democrats.org\/news\/republicans-confirm-trumps-unqualified-pick-to-scam-americans-out-of-their-medicare-and-medicaid\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/democrats.org\/news\/republicans-confirm-trumps-unqualified-pick-to-scam-americans-out-of-their-medicare-and-medicaid\/\",\"name\":\"Republicans Confirm Trump\u2019s Unqualified Pick To Scam Americans Out of Their Medicare and Medicaid\u00a0 - 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