Pandemic Exploited Healthcare System: Oz Reveals Trump Administration’s Crackdown on $6.5 Billion in Fraud

Dr. Mehmet Oz, administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, told Newsmax Thursday that the COVID-19 pandemic emboldened criminals to target the U.S. government but said the Trump administration is now cracking down on billions lost to healthcare fraud.

Appearing on Newsmax’s “The Record With Greta Van Susteren,” Oz stated that rooting out fraud would not only protect American taxpayers but also strengthen Medicare and Medicaid by eliminating billions of dollars in waste and abuse.

His comments came after the Justice Department announced charges against 455 defendants in a nationwide healthcare fraud takedown involving more than $6.5 billion in alleged fraudulent claims over a two-week period.

“That’s for two weeks,” Oz said. “The two-week effort and all-of-government effort — again, by the White House Anti-Fraud Task Force — the number $6.5 billion is for two weeks of arrests.”

Oz explained that the pandemic era changed the calculus for criminals looking to steal taxpayer money: “COVID changed the entire equation. COVID taught a lot of gangsters and fraudsters that they could take advantage of the U.S. government, and we probably wouldn’t do anything about it,” he said. “And in the prior administration, we didn’t.”

Oz noted that CMS oversees nearly $2 trillion in annual spending, making healthcare fraud an especially lucrative target. “My agency, CMS, we have almost $2 trillion going out of our doors,” he added. “Health fraud is the No. 1 volume fraud in America because there’s so much money traveling through the hands of people who can then cheat, lie, steal.”

Oz highlighted that healthcare fraud can cost innocent lives: “But the big message … is if they’re willing to steal your money, they’re willing to steal your health. They’ll take your life,” he said, recounting a case where a young athlete died allegedly after fraudsters failed to properly review medical images showing a life-threatening heart condition.

The CMS administrator also pointed out hospice fraud and fraudulent billing for skin substitutes, stating such schemes enrich criminals while depriving patients of legitimate care.

Oz added that the Trump administration’s anti-fraud push will help secure the future of the nation’s healthcare programs: “Just by taking out the fraud in Medicare, we will double the life expectancy of the Medicare trust fund.”

Additionally, Oz noted that President Donald Trump and Congress “saved Medicaid” through the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, resulting in a solvent system: “Now we’ve got a system, finally, that is solvent. Both Medicaid and Medicare are going to be in good shape.”

The administration will continue pursuing healthcare fraud cases “without hesitation,” Oz said, including those involving multinational criminal organizations targeting American taxpayers.