Senators Grill Dr. Oz on the theme of Medicaid and Medicare Change

During the trial on Friday, the senators pressed Dr. Mehmet Oz, a television celebrity nominated for Head Medicare and Medicaid, about proposals directed by republicans, which would significantly affect health insurance for almost half of all Americans.

At the hearing confirming before the Financial Committee of the Senate, Dr. Oz gave senators in a cordial atmosphere, joking from basketball and loyalty to university teams. To a huge extent, he avoided complex questions from both sides of the nave, showing his charm on the air, when he tilted the most indicated fears of democrats regarding potentially radical changes in the field of health not only of those 65 and older, but also for penniless children.

Many senators seemed dispersed by the fierce debate about the budget agreement of the Republicans to avoid closing the government, and they fell and went out of hearing dr. Oza. But he is ready to swim through the Senate to confirm as the next administrator of Medicare and Medicaid Services centers, agencies with $ 1.5 trillion expenses.

Senator Elizabeth Warren, Democrat Massachusetts, made many financial conflicts before interrogation. But at the session she did not press him on these issues. Instead, she focused on his views on whether the private plans of Medicare were overloading the government, the area in which she and Dr. Oz seemed to agree on the need to cope with potential fraud and waste.

During the hearing, he showed straightforward knowledge about various essential agency problems, although he repeatedly returned to the supply of answers that he would have to study the subject more.

Several legislators, mainly democrats, tried to force Dr. Oza to express their views on the goals of Trump’s administration to reduce the cost of health care and agency budgets, but he has repeatedly missed these minefields.

“This is our patriotic duty to be hearty,” he told senators. “Caring for the unwell who is unwell costs a lot of money because of the choice of lifestyle.”

This chorus is in line with the Make America Health Again movement, supported by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the fresh secretary of the Health and Social Welfare Department, and if it is confirmed.

Medicare Advantage and privatization

The introductory remarks from Senator Ron Olemen, the Democrat of Oregon, contained the initial promise of complex questions. He accused Dr. Oz of avoiding almost USD 500,000 taxes on social insurance and Medicare in recent years, applying tax exemption related to a constrained company, something that the Democrats ended after reviewing the tax declarations dr. But there were no further questions.

The Lord has also argued that he intends to grill Dr. Oz in connection with TZ Insurance Solutions, a profit -oriented company that sells Medicare Advantage plans to older Americans. Dr. Oz was a relentless promoter of those private plans that were criticized by legislators and regulatory bodies for systemic overloading and denying patients’ care, on his show and YouTube channel.

64 -year -old Dr. OZ is also a registered insurance broker in the United States across the country, in accordance with the last investigation into his finances by the Modern York Times. Again, the Lord has marked this problem and did not continue.

Despite the fears of the Democrats that Dr. Oz will most likely undo some principles that are aimed at limiting plans, instead committed to robust supervision. He admitted that some of the brokers selling these plans were “resignation”, switching people from one plan to another, regardless of whether they brought them a change of insurance.

“Partly it simply recognizes that there is a fresh sheriff in the city,” said Dr. Oz. “In fact, we must follow places and areas where we do not manage the money of American people well.”

Several times at the trial, Dr. Oz turned to bilateral fears about whether Medicare Advantage plans are overpaid. In response to the questions of another doctor, Senator Bill Cassida, a Republican from Louisiana, Dr. OZ mentioned the study suggesting that the Federal Government spends more on a private alternative to Medicare than the program run by the government. “It’s upside down,” he said.

“We should examine whether some money should be returned to the American people,” said Dr. Oz.

He also expressed interest in solving some bilateral fears related to the utilize of earlier authorization by insurers to approve medical procedures by reducing the number of services that would be reviewed.

Republican plans to limit Medicaid

Democrats seemed the most frustrated by Dr. Oza’s attitude towards Medicaid, a federal state program that includes 72 million Americans with low income. “All my colleagues want to know if you are going to cut Medicaid?” – Senator Maria Cantwell, Washington’s democrat, asked.

But Dr. Oz, who did not speak much about the program, which would also supervise as the head of the agency, did not answer directly. He said that he did not know the details of republican budget discussions, in which legislators look at hundreds of billion dollars of cuts, which could cause loss of protection of people, because it was more complex to sign up, and you had to receive a greater burden.

Asked by Senator Raphael Warnock, a democrat about Georgia, about republican efforts to add burdensome monthly documents for some people to show that they should get benefits, Dr. Oz said that he was conducive to work requirements, that Republicans want to limit their rights. But he agreed with the senator to make sure that people who should qualify for Medicaid were not cut off.

Dr. Oz and his business supplements

There were other subjects from which the senators seemed to break away. For example, Dr. Oz has earned tens of millions of dollars over the years by promoting dietary supplements, often without mention of his financial interest. He was paid to him by many medical and health companies for showing his products. Many of these companies would affect all decisions that he would make as the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services administrator, and many are already using the agency’s financing.

Senator Maggie Hassan, Democrat Modern Hampshire, asked him to place the dollar character exactly what he did from promoting supplements on his daily television program. He said nothing was paid. He began to explain that Sony Pictures disseminated the program and that it was an entity paid by these companies (which in turn paid him), but was cut off. Ultimately, Mrs. Hassan was unable to bring anything significant from him and moved on.

Patients’ privacy and Doge invasion

During the hearing, Dr. Oza pressed about access to the so -called government department Elon Musk to the private medical information of Americans. The Lord increased concerns about the need to protect people’s privacy, taking into account the potential ability of the department to watch personal health and medical data. Despite the repetitive questions, he said that Trump’s administration had not yet concerned these fears. Surprisingly, Dr. Oz said that he did not talk to the administration, what Mr. Musk did when he checked the information about the agency, but promised “to do what was happening.”

Measles

The Odra explosion in Texas and Modern Mexico increased his fears and leveled significant criticism because of Mr. Kennedy’s response and Trump’s administration. Senator Ben Ray Luján, a democrat from Nowy Mexico, asked Dr. Oza if he thinks that the measles vaccine is secure. Dr. Oz said that he did it, but when the senator followed the question of whether he was effective, Dr. Oz retreated and said that assessing individual vaccines and their recommendations for utilize would not be under him, but as part of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

“My task, if confirmed, is to make sure that we pay for these vaccines,” he said.