Dr. Mehmet Oz, the administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid, said in a new interview that the House version of President Donald Trump’s “big beautiful bill” won’t cut Medicaid, but will keep it solvent.
“I’m trying to save Medicaid,” Oz told Politico’s “The Conversation with Dasha Burns” podcast, which will air in full on Sunday. “That’s the president’s goal as well. He said over and over again, he wants to love and cherish these programs and we need to keep them viable.”
Oz added that there is a “lot of sensitivity” about being accused of not taking care of people with disabilities, seniors, or children, but “every great people takes care of their most vulnerable, and we’re a great nation.”
The bill includes work requirements that apply to childless Medicaid recipients between the ages of 19 and 64 who do not have disabilities. An amendment to the bill changed the implementation date from Jan. 1, 2029 to Dec. 31, 2026.
The rules, if passed in the Senate, would exempt caregivers for dependent children, recipients who are pregnant, and others.
Oz argued that the requirements will “future proof” Medicaid, and is in line with the administration’s goals for protecting social services.
Trump has insisted that Medicaid will not be cut, but a Congressional Budget Office report has estimated that 7.6 million people could become uninsured if the bill is voted into law.
That caused some Republicans to say they are concerned that the cuts will hurt the party.
Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., wrote in a New York Times opinion piece that “corporatist Republicans” want Republicans to “build our big, beautiful bill around slashing health insurance for the working poor. But that argument is both morally wrong and politically suicidal.”
Republican Sens. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine also have said they are concerned about the House bill’s Medicaid plans.
Murkowski said in an interview that the work requirements would be difficult in her state, where many people live in rural areas and don’t have the ability to work without moving to a city.
Oz told Burns that the majority of Americans agree with the push for work requirements.
“We’re not cutting Medicaid,” he said. “I’ve seen the proposals. There is no proposal I’ve seen, in fact, in fairness, that doesn’t increase spending on Medicaid.”
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