Dr. Oz details the new digital health ecosystem
Dr. Mehmet Oz, administrator for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, discusses the government’s plan to invest over $200 billion in Medicaid after passing the “One Big Beautiful Bill” on ‘Hannity.’
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Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz states that the government aims to enhance Medicaid by investing additional funds. Dr. Oz emphasized the importance of Medicaid in providing assistance to individuals in need.
“I’m trying to save this beautiful program, this noble effort, to help folks, giving them a hand up,” Oz told CBS’ “Face the Nation” on Sunday.
“And as you probably gather, if Medicaid isn’t able to take care of the people for whom it was designed, the young children, the dawn of their life, those who are twilight of their lives, the seniors, and those who were disabled living in the shadows, as Hubert Humphrey said, then we’re not satisfying the fundamental obligation of a moral government,” he continued.
Oz, the 17th administrator for CMS, said the government wants “an appropriate return” on the Medicaid investment. He addressed the disparity in drug costs between the U.S. and Europe, highlighting efforts to lower drug prices.
Mehmet Oz, Administrator for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, speaks during a press conference on health care fraud enforcement at the Department of Justice in Washington, DC on June 30, 2025. (MANDEL NGAN/AFP)
Last week, the Trump administration announced a new program to facilitate sharing personal health data and medical records across various platforms, aiming to streamline access to health records and wellness monitoring.
CMS will oversee the system, ensuring secure handling of medical records and data shared by patients who opt-in to the program.
Alicia Lester, case manager and Service Coordinator, helps Henry Pedoff fill out a Medicaid and a food stamps application at the LifeNet4Families center on May 14, 2025 in Lauderhill, Florida. (Joe Raedle)
Officials anticipate that patients will benefit from a more efficient system of accessing their medical records, eliminating obstacles such as fax machines that have hindered record retrieval in the past.
“We’re going to have remarkable advances in how consumers can use their own records,” Oz said during the White House event.
WASHINGTON, DC – JUNE 23: Workers from Service Employees International Union (SEIU) protest the proposed Republican Medicaid cuts near the U.S. Capitol building on June 23, 2025, in Washington, DC. The protesters fear that the Senate version of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act would make historic cuts to Medicaid, the public health insurance program for low-income and disabled people that covers 71 million Americans. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images) (Joe Raedle)
CMS holds extensive information on more than 140 million Americans enrolled in Medicare and Medicaid. Recently, the agency agreed to share this data, including home addresses, with immigration authorities.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
