President Trump's director of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to a Columbus-area elementary school to see the results of a government-sponsored vision program. But those at the event saw him react to recent stories about Medicaid fraud and snakes at his home.
Gov. Mike DeWine took Dr. Mehmet Oz to Hopewell Elementary School in Dublin on Tuesday to show him how federal dollars were being spent on the OhioSEE program. That program, funded with a combination of state and federal dollars, provides free, comprehensive eye exams and fitted prescription glasses to Kindergarten through third-grade students in 15 high-need Ohio counties.
After patiently listening to DeWine, Oz, U.S. Rep. Mike Carey (R-OH 15), and a couple of other adults affiliated with the schools extol the benefits of the program, the moment had come for about a dozen kids who got to try on their new glasses in front of their classmates.
But journalists may have witnessed one of the most notable moments of the day when Oz was asked about a snake video that had gone viral on social media.
“We were going to the airport and my wife saw two snakes mating so I did the wise thing and got out of the way," Oz said, noting that Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was with him. "[He] thought he would actually wrestle them. They’re black racer snakes and they are not very happy when they are bothered in the middle of mating so they were snapping at him. They think his narrow tie is another snake so they’d bite at that. They drew a little bit of blood but Bobby won the battle."
Winning a battle set the tone for the rest of the conversation as Oz and DeWine explained how they are dealing with fighting Medicaid fraud and abuse. A conservative news outlet reported that suspect home health care providers may have swindled the state out of a billion dollars in Medicaid funds in 2024. Since that report, DeWine has initiated some changes, including freezing some suspect payments pending state and federal governments investigations.
Republicans have run state government since 2011. But legislative leaders have pointed at DeWine and his former Medicaid director Maureen Corcoran. Oz said he trusts DeWine but said Ohio has a big problem with fraud, noting 38% of the state's Medicaid dollars being spent are in Franklin County.
“That doesn’t make any sense,” Oz said. He didn't note that Franklin County is the most populous county in Ohio.
Oz said the government is now getting the data it has been needing to determine whether there is fraud and is working with states including Ohio to identify possible Medicaid fraud. And he said a task force has been set up by the Trump administration.
“It sends a very clear message to everybody – we are coming for you," Oz said. "Don’t walk away from us. Run. Because we are going to catch you wherever you are. Go off and defraud someone else. Don’t try to hurt our most vulnerable."
“They’re not just stealing your money. The corruption. The rot that hurts Medicaid steals people’s health. It steals their lives,” Oz said.
Before coming to the school, Oz met with the man who hopes to succeed DeWine as governor, Republican candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, who briefly helped lead Trump's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) before launching his campaign. Oz said he spoke with Ramaswamy about his ideas to reform Medicaid and found them “intriguing,” but cautioned that the devil is in the details.
“I’m open to any kind of ideas,” DeWine said.
