Dr. Mehmet Oz, President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the agency in charge of massive government-run health insurance programs, on Friday declined to commit to opposing future cuts to Medicaid when directly asked if he would do so.
Instead, the nominee for administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services said that the way to protect Medicaid is “making sure that it’s viable at every level.”
The exchange during Oz’s Senate confirmation hearing raises fresh questions about the fate of Medicaid under a Republican-led Congress and White House, despite Trump’s promises to preserve it and other federal safety-net programs.
The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said last week that House Republicans’ current budget cannot meet its spending-cut goals without significantly cutting Medicare or Medicaid coverage.
Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., the ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee, asked Oz on Friday, “Since you cherish Medicaid, will you agree to oppose cuts in the Medicaid program?”
“I cherish Medicaid, and I’ve worked within the Medicaid environment quite extensively, as I highlighted, practicing at Columbia University,” Oz said.
Wyden replied, “That’s not that question, doctor. The question is, will you oppose cuts to this program you say you cherish?”
Oz again declined to say that he would.
“I want to make sure that patients today and in the future have resources to protect them if they get ill,” he said.
“The way you protect Medicaid is by making sure that it’s viable at every level, which includes having enough practitioners to afford the services, paying them enough to do what you request of them, and making sure that patients are able to use Medicaid.”
This is developing news. Please check back for updates.