Mehmet Oz breathlessly touted private Medicare plans on his popular daytime TV show and in the years that followed. On Friday, the former surgeon pledged with equal enthusiasm to crack down on widespread fraud within the program.
“Part of this is just recognizing there is a new sheriff in town,” Oz said. “We actually have to go after places and areas where we’re not managing the American people’s money well.”
Oz, President Trump’s pick to lead the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, had been mum on pressing health policy issues in the months since he was nominated for the crucial post. On Friday, in a hearing before the Senate Finance Committee, Oz unveiled his vision for the $1.5 trillion agency that aligns neatly with the Trump administration’s ethos of cutting costs and making America healthy again. It includes disease prevention while also addressing bipartisan concerns about fraud in Medicare Advantage and protecting rural health care access.
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