Dr. Oz Says Medicare/Medicaid Anti-Fraud Effort Coming To 'All 50 States'

Dr. Mehmet Oz, the administrator of the agency overseeing Medicaid and Medicare, announced Tuesday that his agency’s anti-fraud effort will come to every state.

During an interview at a Politico-hosted event, Oz said that every U.S. state can expect anti-fraud activities involving funds received through the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid (CMS).

“We are going to announce this week that all 50 states are going to be requested to give us a plan over the next 30 days of how they’re going to re-validate providers in high-risk areas in their states,” Oz said.

Oz explained that it would involve proving whether individuals who are enrolled in CMS programs “really exist” or not, and whether the states “have a right to provide these services.”

“We’re asking the states to own that problem ... red and blue, all of them,” he said, responding to a question from the Politico moderator about whether it involves every state.

He later added that if states “don’t take it seriously, it indicates to us that we might have to take the audits ... more aggressively.”

When asked about a possible deadline, he said CMS is asking the states to provide the agency with a plan over the next month.

Oz, a medical doctor better known as the moniker Dr. Oz from when he was a television personality, oversees the nation’s largest health insurance programs as the administrator of CMS. To date, Oz has sent letters to California, Florida, Maine, and New York alleging fraud in the states’ Medicaid programs.

At the Tuesday event, the Politico interviewer mentioned CMS having issued a statement earlier this month to correct a comment made by Oz on social media that 5.1 million beneficiaries received personal care services, which include things like help with eating, bathing, and dressing.

However, the real number receiving services was about 450,000, the CMS spokesperson said.

Oz’s comment drew criticism from New York Gov. Kathy Hochul’s office, with a spokesperson saying that it was “patently false” and her office is “glad they now admit it.”

During the interview, Oz emphasized the Trump administration’s efforts to address fraud around the country, which federal officials say is needed to rein in runaway spending and protect taxpayers.

With many midterm voters concerned about the cost of living in the United States, President Donald Trump has ramped up efforts to address it, announcing last month that Vice President JD Vance would help balance the nation’s budget by spearheading a national “war on fraud.”

The Trump administration has sought to withhold funding from some Democrat-led states in recent months, citing fraud concerns. This has included child care subsidies and other social services programs in Minnesota, New York, and three other states and with the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) in 22 states that have declined to hand over data that the federal government says is needed to root out fraud.

Lawsuits have been filed in response to the he anti-fraud efforts led by the federal government. In several cases, judges have ruled that the federal money must continue to flow for the time being.

In California, Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office, in response to claims of widespread hospice fraud in Southern California, blamed the Trump administration, in part, for entitlement fraud in the state.

In January, Newsom’s office said in a statement the administration has “dismantled the federal government’s ability to prevent and address fraud.”

“California didn’t wait—we’ve identified and cracked down on hospice fraud for years, taking real action to protect patients and taxpayers,” Newsom said in a statement.

Hospice fraud in Newsom’s California is rampant, with Los Angeles County alone representing roughly $3.5 billion in fraudulent Medicare billings, driven by thousands of “red flag” agencies.

Fraudsters enroll non-terminal patients, utilize shell companies, and create, as detailed by the Department of Justice (.gov), fraudulent claims. A 2026 investigation found that over 700 Los Angeles hospices exhibited major indicators of fraud, such as dozens of providers registered to single addresses. (Department of Justice.gov)

A 2022 audit found 112 hospice agencies registered to a single address in LA, which House.gov cites as a primary red flag. An office building in Van Nuys, owned by a self-identified Jewish man, hosted 89 registered hospices, many with no legitimate patients, according to Health Law Advisor.

Fraudulent operators target seniors to sign them up for hospice even if they are not terminally ill, often offering illegal incentives like gift cards or cash. Recent actions have led to arrests, including cases involving millions of dollars in paid claims for non-terminal beneficiaries.-——Department of Justice.gov)

Common Fraudulent Tactics
<><>Enrolling patients who are supposedly near death, then discharging them alive.
<><>Falsified Documentation for visits, medications, or patient deaths that never occurred.
<><>Multiple agencies sharing the same, often nonexistent, staff or administrators. —— House.gov

The House Committee on Oversight and Accountability has launched a formal investigation into the fraud, specifically asking why California permitted such rapid, unregulated growth of hospice providers. The California Department of Justice continues to issue consumer alerts regarding the issue.

CMS Administrator Dr Oz remarked about rampant hospice fraud. “I want to make it clear, we’re not going to pay you money just because you sent me a piece of paper as a bill. We’re going to check to make sure that’s legitimate, and that you actually performed something that’s helpful to the American people Or you’re not getting money from us.”

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