The last time I wrote about Dr. Mehmet Oz, the head of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), he was reviewing the state’s use of Medicaid funding.
His initial assessment was that federal monies were being used for the healthcare of illegal aliens, which is prohibited. As an added bonus, some of our tax dollars went for the care of foreign murderers and rapists. As a result of his investigation, Oz is demanding that California pay back $1 billion.
Now, the head of CMS has launched a high‑profile push on alleged hospice and home‑health fraud in California. He has specifically linked part of this activity to “Russian‑Armenian mafia” groups in Los Angeles.
“Eighteen percent of the whole country’s home healthcare billing is coming out of Los Angeles County — how is that possible?” said Dr. Mehmet Oz, administrator for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. “It’s about $3.5 billion just in L.A. County for hospice and home healthcare.”…At the briefing Friday, Oz and Essayli told reporters “foreign influences” were draining government healthcare programs, making care inaccessible to Americans while California leaders turned a blind eye.“These are Russian, Armenian gangs, mafia that are leading a lot of these efforts,” Oz said. “This president will not tolerate having Americans defrauded by foreign influences.”
So, what does the panicking governor do?
Answer: Have his office smear Oz as “racist”, asserting that because of his Turkish heritage, Oz was targeting the Armenian community.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Dr. Mehmet Oz continued trading verbal blows as the governor implied that President Trump’s Medicaid czar was deliberately singling out Armenian-owned California businesses for accusations of fraud.“Our office is reviewing reports that Dr. Mehmet Oz targeted the Armenian American community in Southern California recently — making racially charged claims of fraud outside Armenian owned businesses, including a popular bakery,” Newsom’s press office wrote on X Wednesday morning.The office concluded the fiery accusation with what appeared to be an oblique suggestion that Oz’s Turkish heritage played a role in the facilities he pointed out as taking part in the emerging alleged fraud scheme.
The review that Oz is leading has revealed truly astonishing numbers. Los Angeles County accounts for nearly 10% of the nationwide “home health” spending but only 2% of national enrollment.
“California is already paying back $1.6 billion that they previously charged to the federal government for health care services given to illegal immigrants. But they have a much bigger fraud problem that hurts American citizens.””The number of home health agencies in California almost doubled between 2019 and 2024. LA County alone is accounting for 1.4 billion dollars, representing almost 9% of total fee for service home health spending for the entire country, though it just has 2% of the national enrollment.””LA County should be ashamed of the 2022 California State Auditor report showing that their number of hospice agency increased by 1,500 percent since 2010.””Yes, you heard that right, 1,500 percent. That exceeds the 40% increase in the senior population during that same period. How can you defend a seven-fold increase in hospice, especially since so many of these charlatans report 100% survival for supposedly terminally ill patients?”
Clearly, fraud is rampant in California. The only question is how significant it is compared to Minnesota, which has recently been placed under a fiscal microscope.
Evidence is piling up that Minnesota’s pillaging of our tax dollars is merely chump change when compared to the Golden State’s. In fact, First Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California Bill Essayli referred to Governor Gavin Newsom as the “King of Fraud“.
The Trump administration is ramping up a nationwide crackdown on the misuse of taxpayer money. A top federal prosecutor criticized California Gov. Gavin Newsom over a lack of oversight, branding him the “king of fraud.”“California has spent $24 billion in the last five years on homelessness, and no one can account for where that money has really gone,” First Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California Bill Essayli said Thursday on “Fox & Friends.”
The numerous fraud accusations aren’t a good look for Newsom, who is poised to launch his long-awaited presidential bid.
Personally, I am thinking the bigger problem for news lies with the regional First Assistant U.S. Attorney’s assessment of the governor.
That is a nickname that will likely stick through the 2028 primary season and beyond. Furthermore, it may have both financial and legal consequences.
CLICK HERE FOR FULL VERSION OF THIS STORY