Mehmet Oz warns Maine Medicaid fraud 'looks a lot like Minnesota' scandal

WASHINGTON, DC: The Trump administration’s Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Dr Mehmet Oz drew parallels between Maine and Minnesota as scrutiny mounted over alleged misuse of public assistance funds.

Dr Oz said that Maine might be facing a significant fraud problem within its social services system, comparing it to the massive welfare scandal uncovered in Minnesota.

Oz made the remarks during an appearance on John Catsimatidis's radio program 'The Cats Roundtable' which aired on Sunday, February 8.

According to Oz, the allegations out of Maine suggested “another major crisis” involving taxpayer-funded programs.

“What we’re seeing is that Maine is starting to look a lot like Minnesota,” he said.

Dr Oz has reiterated his claims via his post on X.

Mehmet Oz vows aggressive pursuit of offenders

Oz said that the issue extended beyond a single state, asserting that Medicare and Medicaid fraud remained widespread nationwide.

He specifically pointed to California, estimating that improper payments across federal health programs totaled as much as $100 billion.

“We’re going to keep chasing this,” Oz said, arguing that fraud drained resources from vulnerable populations who relied on government assistance.

The CMS administrator had previously accused members of Los Angeles’s Armenian community of participating in hospice fraud allegations, claims that prompted sharp backlash.

In response, California Governor Gavin Newsom recently filed a civil rights complaint, with his office accusing Oz of making racially charged accusations.

State officials said that the allegations were being reviewed seriously, emphasizing that discrimination and hate have no place in California.

Whistleblower sparks Medicaid fraud concerns in Maine

Concerns in Maine escalated after a whistleblower claimed last year that millions of dollars had been improperly taken from the state’s Medicaid program.

Republican lawmakers seized on the allegations, with State Sen Matt Harrington calling for a formal investigation and labeling the situation “a slap in the face to Maine taxpayers” in December.

Federal authorities are already investigating similar misconduct in Minnesota, where prosecutors estimated that roughly $1 billion in funds intended for social services programs were siphoned off through fraudulent schemes.

The Trump administration linked those operations to Minnesota’s Somali community, a claim that fueled controversy and played a role in heightened immigration enforcement efforts in the state.

Oz suggested that the Maine allegations could involve members of the state’s Somali population and said that he had formally raised the issue with Democratic Governor Janet Mills.

His comments followed recent immigration enforcement actions in Maine. Last month, Republican Sen Susan Collins said that Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem had agreed to halt what the department described as “enhanced” enforcement operations in the state.

Gov Mills has been a vocal critic of the administration’s immigration strategy, arguing that the actions caused widespread fear.

In a post on X in late January, she accused federal authorities of inflicting harm on families, workers, and local businesses.