Dr. Oz Puts Gavin Newsom on the Clock During California Fraud Update [WATCH]

Dr. Oz raised concerns about what he described as widespread and escalating health care fraud in California, citing billions of dollars in questionable spending and calling on Gov. Gavin Newsom to produce a corrective action plan within weeks.

In remarks outlining multiple areas of concern, Dr. Oz said California is already repaying the federal government for improperly billed services but warned that larger systemic problems remain unresolved.

“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,” Dr. Oz said.

“So I’ve instructed Governor Newsom to produce within the next three weeks a comprehensive program integrity action plan to address major fraud in their health care system.”

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Dr. Oz said he planned to highlight several examples of what he characterized as long-standing abuses tolerated by state leadership. He first pointed to In-Home Supportive Services, a program that provides personal and household care.

“What are these? They include personal care like bathing or grooming, household tasks, cleaning and cooking, shopping, transportation,” he said.

“Now these are tasks that your family could do for you, but having the government pay has generated some significant cash for unethical people.”

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According to Dr. Oz, California’s spending on those services surged dramatically over the past decade.

“California spending for these services increased from eight to $28 billion over the past decade,” he said.

“Why should the federal taxpayer spend 250% more money on California, which is already an affluent state, and this program is still growing by double digits annually.”

He next addressed home health care spending, saying California’s growth far outpaced the rest of the country in 2024.

“Second in 2024 alone, spending for home health care in California increased by more than 21% representing the largest growth rate for any major health category nationwide,” Dr. Oz said.

He noted that the number of home health agencies in the state nearly doubled between 2019 and 2024.

Dr. Oz highlighted Los Angeles County as a central concern, citing its disproportionate share of national spending.

“LA County alone is accounting for $1.4 billion representing almost 9% of total fee for service home health spending for the entire country, though it just has 2% of the national enrollment,” he said.

“That’s five times more than expected.”

He argued that such concentration diverts resources from seniors in other parts of the country.

“They’re taking home money that other agencies nationwide could use so fewer Americans can get access to these vital services,” Dr. Oz said.

“LA County’s corrupt practices are hurting innocent seniors outside of Southern California.”

Dr. Oz also cited findings from a 2022 California State Auditor report regarding hospice care.

“Finally, LA County should be ashamed of the 2022 California State Auditor report showing that their number of hospice agents increased by 15 100% since 2010,” he said.

“Yes, you heard that, right? 15 100% that exceeds the 40% increase in the senior population during that same period.”

He questioned how such growth could be justified, particularly given reported outcomes.

“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,” Dr. Oz said. He added that seniors have been harmed by fraudulent operators.

“I’m hearing horror stories from seniors duped by these fraudsters, because California is not stopping these criminals,” he said.

Dr. Oz closed by reiterating his demand for swift action from the governor.

“Governor Newsom, the clock is ticking on the deadline for your comprehensive program, integrity action plan,” he said.