'Help it make sense!' MSNBC's Ari Melber challenges Trump official Dr. Oz on severe cuts
President Donald Trump's Medicare and Medicaid director, former talk show host Dr. Mehmet Oz, faced an intense grilling by MSNBC's Ari Melber over the House GOP's new plan to cut hundreds of millions from Medicaid funding, and particularly the imposition of work requirements that could throw millions of people off insurance.
Republicans tried the idea during the first Trump administration, which failed to improve either the Medicaid system or recipients' employment.
"You're talking about the $600 billion over a decade-long plan," said Melber. "And most importantly, [the Congressional Budget Office] scored this actually just today. Seven million people could be basically forced off insurance. And take a look at, say, a MAGA Republican like Josh Hawley. He is looking at this right now and saying that slashing health insurance for the working poor is, he says, morally wrong and politically suicidal ... does it risk you overseeing a system that if the Republicans get their way, you're going to be pushing a lot of people off health insurance right now?"
"All right, let's get the fundamentals straight on this," said Oz. "In every scenario that I have seen, we are increasing payments on Medicaid. We're just not increasing it as much as it could be increased under other scenarios."
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"I'll let you finish, but those are nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office numbers that I, that I quoted," said Melber.
But Oz didn't back down.
"There are other numbers that are coming out as well," said Oz. "But I'll just give you just a little thought experiment. There are roughly 14 to 15 million able-bodied individuals who are getting Medicaid under the expanded population, and they're the ones where there's a work requirement. In other words, the House is saying, you have to prove that you're trying to work or take care of a family member or volunteer or get educated, do something even for a few hours a week to show you're trying to help yourself that you have some agency for the future. If you're not willing to do that, just that little bit of effort, should you keep your insurance?"
"But the counter, Doctor, would be, how are communities better off if those folks, whatever problems they're facing, are then uninsured and go through something I know you've talked about in your career, which is how much costlier it is to deal with it after the fact when problems are building because they're off insurance," said Melber. "So I guess — help it make sense. Why would it be better to have those people completely off insurance?"
"Oh, I want everyone on insurance," said Oz. "Remember, most people, when they're offered the opportunity of free insurance if they just show up for a job or even apply for a job, they're going to try to get a job. A few people don't. The question, and that's why I'm curious about these numbers — why would you not take that offer if you're sitting at home watching our show right now, you know, folks are out there trying to figure out whether they're for or against this. If I told you that a member of your family, all they had to do was call up and try to get a job, and they get to keep their health insurance, and they won't even do that. Is that really fair to the American taxpayer?"
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