Dr. Oz Calls Medicare Fraud an Epidemic. Trump Keeps Pardoning the Culprits.

Dr. Mehmet Oz, administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, is leading a Trump administration "fraud war room" using artificial intelligence to target alleged Medicare and Medicaid fraud, particularly in home and community-based services billing in New York and California. At a House Energy and Commerce Committee hearing Tuesday, Republican lawmakers praised the effort as more aggressive than any previous administration, while Democrats warned that withholding Medicaid funds—such as threats to Minnesota's program—could deny coverage to disabled, elderly, and low-income Americans. Four academics published a warning in Health Affairs that the administration's focus on HCBS spending doesn't reflect systemic corruption but rather reflects bipartisan policy choices and demographic shifts, with over 500,000 people already on waiting lists to qualify for the program. Rep. Lori Trahan (D-Mass.) countered that Trump undermined fraud-fighting credibility by firing the HHS inspector general upon taking office and then pardoning convicted Medicare and Medicaid fraudsters, including Philip Esformes. The dispute reflects a fundamental divide over whether the administration is protecting taxpayer funds or using fraud allegations to justify cuts that would harm vulnerable populations.