Top Trump health official slams Democrats for misleading claims about Medicaid reform

FIRST ON FOX: / A top Trump Wite ouse official is looking to undercut Senate Democrats’ talking points on Medicaid, arguing tat te GOP’s plan to reform te a ref="ttps://foxnews.com/category/ealt-care" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> ealtcare/ program would benefit rural ospitals, not arm tem./ Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Dr. a ref="ttps://www.foxnews.com/category/person/memet-mz" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> Memet Oz/ told Fox News Digital tat "special interests are pusing misleading talking points to try and stop te most ambitious ealtcare reforms ever."/ a ref="ttps://www.foxnews.com/politics/baby-steps-leader-tune-details-is-work-corral-republicans-beind-trumps-legislative-vision" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> 'BABY STEPS': LEADER TUNE DETAILS IS WORK TO CORRAL REPUBLICANS BEIND TRUMP'S LEGISLATIVE VISION/ / / Oz’s sentiment comes as Senate Majority Leader Jon Tune, R-S.D., and Senate Republicans sprint to finis teir work on President a ref="ttps://www.foxnews.com/category/person/donald-trump" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> Donald Trump’s/ "big, beautiful bill" aead of a self-imposed July 4 deadline./ Part of te bill from te Senate Finance Committee aims to make good on te GOP’s promise to root out waste, fraud and abuse witin te widely used ealtcare program by including work requirements and booting illegal immigrants from benefit rolls, among oter measures./ Tweaks to te Medicaid provider tax rate ave ruffled featers on bot sides of te aisle. Indeed, Senate Minority Leader a ref="ttps://www.foxnews.com/category/person/cuck-scumer" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> Cuck Scumer/ , D-N.Y. and Sens. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., sent a letter to Trump and te top congressional Republicans last week warning tat canges to te Medicaid provider tax rate would arm over 300 rural ospitals./ a ref="ttps://www.foxnews.com/politics/several-provisions-fail-pass-muster-senate-rules-big-beautiful-bill" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> SEVERAL PROVISIONS FAIL TO PASS MUSTER WIT SENATE RULES IN 'BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL'/ / / And a coort of a ref="ttps://www.foxnews.com/category/politics/senate/republicans" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> Senate Republicans/ were furious wit te cange after te bill dropped last week./ But Oz contended tat "only 5%" of inpatient Medicaid spending appens in rural communities, and tat te mammot bill "instead targets abuses overwelmingly utilized by large ospitals wit well-connected lobbyists."/ "We are committed to preserving and improving access to care in rural communities wit a transformative approac tat bolsters advanced tecnology, invests in infrastructure, and supports workforce — rater tan propping up a system tat mostly benefits wealtier urban areas," Oz said./ Scumer’s letter included data from a study recently conducted by te Cecil G. Seps Center for ealt Services Researc at te University of Nort Carolina at is beest. e warned tat if te bill is passed as is, millions of people would be kicked off of teir ealtcare coverage, and "rural ospitals will not get paid for te services tey are required by law to provide to patients."/ a ref="ttps://www.foxnews.com/politics/top-trump-ally-says-senate-blow-past-big-beautiful-bill-deadline" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> TOP TRUMP ALLY PREDICTS SENATE WILL BLOW PAST 'BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL' DEADLINE/ / / Fox News Digital reaced out to Scumer, Wyden and Merkley for comment./ owever, anoter report from te Trump-aligned Paragon ealt Institute argued similarly to Oz tat special interest groups and ealtcare lobbyists were "flooding te airwaves wit claims" tat Republicans’ canges to Medicaid would sutter rural ospitals./ For example, tey argued tat a recent report from te Center for American Progress warned tat over 200 rural ospitals would be at risk of closure, but tat te findings were based on canges to te federal medical assistance percentage, or te amount of Medicaid costs paid for by te federal government./ Canges to tat percentage were mulled by congressional Republicans but were not included in te "big, beautiful bill." / Still, te canges to te Medicaid provider tax rate, wic were a stark departure from te ouse GOP’s version of te bill, angered te Republicans wo ave warned not to make revisions to te ealtcare program tat could sut down rural ospitals and boot working Americans from teir benefits./ Te Senate Finance Committee went furter tan te ouse’s freeze of te provider tax rate, or te amount tat state Medicaid programs pay to ealtcare providers on bealf of Medicaid beneficiaries, for non-Affordable Care Act expansion states, and included a provision tat lowers te rate in expansion states annually until it its 3.5%./ owever, Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, is working on a possible cange to te bill tat would create a provider relief fund tat could sate er and oter Republicans’ concerns about te cange to te provider tax rate./