So Dr. Oz Is Going To Be In Charge Of Medicare, Medicaid

Mehmet Oz, the celebrity quack doctor, faced his Senate confirmation hearing on Friday as he seeks to lead the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. And he refused to promise he won’t help the Republican Party slash Medicaid.

“Since you cherish Medicaid, will you agree to oppose cuts in the Medicaid program?” asked Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon.

“I cherish Medicaid, and I’ve worked within the Medicaid environment quite extensively, as I highlighted, practicing at Columbia University,” Oz replied. 

Wyden shot back: “That’s not that question, doctor. The question is, will you oppose cuts to this program you say you cherish?”

Dodging the question again, Oz said, “I want to make sure that patients today and in the future have resources to protect them if they get ill. 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 actually use Medicaid.”

For the record, it was a yes/no question.

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