In a video circulating on X, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz stated that California halted payments to 450 hospice facilities, and not a single one has contacted the agency to request reinstatement. Oz claimed all 450 were fraudulent and collectively billed roughly $750 million in one year. The remarks have drawn widespread online attention amid ongoing scrutiny of healthcare fraud in the state.
The post, originally shared on X by @WallStreetApes, features a video clip of Dr. Mehmet Oz, Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, from his appearance on Katie Pavlich Tonight, discussing California’s hospice payment audit.
In the clip, Dr. Oz states that after California stopped payments to 450 hospice facilities, not a single one contacted the agency to request reinstatement of funding. He asserts that all 450 were fraudulent operations that collectively billed approximately $750 million in one year.
These comments underscore how much apparent fraud the payment block revealed. As the post notes, the fact that no one has asked to have their payments restored is being used as compelling proof that the clinics had no real patients or activities.
Public Reaction Builds Around California Hospice Fraud Claims
The video prompted varied reactions online, with several commenters focused on the lack of legitimate patients, with one noting the $750 million figure represented millions of billed patient days for non-existent care and adding that “nobody is protesting because there’s nobody to protest.”
Another highlighted, “Also, not one relative complained that their family member was kicked out of a hospice in California.”
Others called for stronger accountability, asking, “When are the arrests and oversight to ensure they do not start new fraudulent businesses?”
Some users expressed concern about the impact on real families in need of hospice services: “The worst part of the story is that they are actual people who need those services to take care of their elderly parents.”
Several comments also criticized California officials, particularly Governor Gavin Newsom, for their response to the fraud revelations.
The moment is drawing attention due to the unusually complete absence of pushback from the affected facilities, combined with the large dollar amount involved.
The clip has sparked a wider online conversation about oversight of healthcare fraud and the responsibility of California’s spending of taxpayer dollars. It becomes part of the continuing national discussion about Medicare accountability and the broader effort to root out endemic waste.
