Dr. Mehmet Oz, administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, told Newsmax on Monday that eliminating Medicare fraud could significantly extend the program's financial stability, potentially adding years to the life of its trust fund without raising taxes or cutting benefits.
On "The Record With Greta Van Susteren," Oz estimated that Medicare fraud costs exceed $100 billion annually.
He said curbing that waste could have a direct and meaningful impact on the program's solvency at a time when many Americans are worried about retirement security.
"Well, we think it's north of $100 billion a year," Oz said, agreeing with estimates discussed in the interview.
He framed the issue in terms of its effect on everyday Americans, particularly those nearing retirement age who are concerned about whether Medicare will remain available. According to Oz, addressing fraud alone could "double the projected lifespan of the Medicare trust fund."
Current projections suggest the trust fund could face depletion in the next several years. Oz said eliminating fraudulent payments could push that timeline significantly further into the future, giving beneficiaries more confidence in the system.
"That means instead of it expiring five, six years from now, it would go twice that much into the future before you'd have to worry about its solvency," he said.
Oz emphasized that such changes would not require raising taxes, reducing benefits, or removing Americans from the program. Instead, he characterized the approach as targeting criminal activity within the system.
"You don't have to increase your taxes. We don't take money from anybody. We don't have to throw anybody off these programs," Oz said. "Everything stays the same, except you stop the bad guys from stealing money."
Medicare fraud has long been cited by policymakers as a major source of waste in federal healthcare spending, with schemes as varied as billing for services not rendered, identity theft, and organized crime.
Oz's comments come amid ongoing national debates over the reform and long-term sustainability of programs such as Medicare and Social Security.
Lawmakers have proposed a range of solutions, including benefit adjustments and revenue increases, though efforts to address fraud have generally drawn bipartisan support.
Oz argued that focusing on fraud prevention offers a less controversial path to strengthening Medicare while preserving benefits for current and future recipients.
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Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
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