The top Trump Administration official over Medicaid and Medicare vouched for Gov. Mike DeWine’s leadership on Tuesday as the governor has faced increased criticism from within his own party over how he’s tackled Medicaid fraud.
Dr. Mehmet Oz, administrator for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, praised DeWine’s decision to use $25 million of Ohio’s share of federal rural health funding to help expand Ohio SEE, a state program that provides vision checks and glasses to needy children. Oz and DeWine spoke with reporters at an elementary school in Dublin, where kids received new glasses as part of a ceremony highlighting the program.
Oz said he was impressed with visits earlier in the day with the local U.S. attorney and to a home health services provider who was convicted of defrauding Medicaid, including for billing for dead and ineligible patients.
“I trust Gov. DeWine,” Oz said, before later saying, “We’ve got a massive issue nationwide. I only ask for one thing: partners, governors that we can work together with, who believe there’s an opportunity to make the system work better.”
Oz’s visit, which DeWine said was planned months ago, was freighted with extra meaning given the particular political moment the governor faces. DeWine, who is nearing the end of his eight years as governor, has drawn sharp criticism from Republicans in Columbus and Washington, D.C. alike after a conservative website’s recent series highlighted instances of potential fraud in Ohio’s Medicaid program.
DeWine targets Medicaid fraud
The articles in the Daily Wire focused on home health care, in which unlicensed aides help homebound patients with non-medical services. The series comes as President Donald Trump has targeted mostly Democratic states with fraud crackdowns, although fraud is a longstanding issue in the massive program, which provides healthcare coverage to those with disabilities and low incomes, covering a quarter of Ohio’s population.
Nearly all states provide similar services. DeWine has said home health services are necessary to keep people out of nursing homes, which cost more and often can provide a lower quality of life. Amid the federal crackdown, DeWine has announced measures intended to reduce or prevent potential fraud in the program, including temporarily pausing the approval of new providers and reimplementing GPS tracking measures on home aides.
Asked Tuesday whether Medicaid should stop paying for these types of home health services, Oz said states need to figure out how to determine whether someone actually needs them. And he praised DeWine’s new anti-fraud measures.
“Ohio jumped on it immediately, and the governor actually made it part of a platform for the state to take this issue seriously. I think the American people want to know their tax dollars are spent wisely,” Oz said.
‘But Vivek is not the governor’
While in Columbus, Oz also met with another Republican leader: Vivek Ramaswamy, the GOP nominee for Ohio governor in the November election. Ramaswamy is running against Dr. Amy Acton, a Democrat who previously served as DeWine’s state health director.
Oz said he and Ramaswamy had a pull-up competition, in which Oz suggested Ramaswamy was helped by his background as a high-ranked prep tennis player.
Here’s the video evidence so readers can judge for themselves.
The two also discussed Ramaswamy’s ideas to fight Medicaid fraud. Ramaswamy announced his plan last week, which includes seeking federal support for Ohio to keep a larger share of any fraud recovery. Typically, Ohio returns two-thirds of any such money to the federal government, since the feds provide two-thirds of the program’s funding.
Oz was diplomatically noncommittal about Ramaswamy’s idea. He called it a “very innovative idea” and said he referred Ramaswamy to the federal official who directly oversees the Medicaid program.
“But Vivek is not the governor. Here is the governor,” Oz said, gesturing toward DeWine. “What do you think?”
DeWine was succinct in his response.
“I’m open to any kind of idea,” DeWine said. “I thought it was a very intriguing idea.”
In a message, Ramaswamy campaign spokesperson Evan Machan said Ramaswamy “has laid out a practical plan to crush Medicaid fraud in Ohio and make healthcare more affordable for Ohioans.”
“Vivek has the unique skills and relationships to deliver lower healthcare costs for our state, and he looks forward to working collaboratively with CMS to implement his vision starting in January 2027,” Machan said.
