States push back on Dr. Oz’s claims of illegal Medicaid spending

WASHINGTON — Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Mehmet Oz said Friday that “more than $1 billion of federal taxpayer dollars were being spent on funding Medicaid for illegal immigrants” by five states and the District of Columbia in recent months.

But several state health departments rejected the claims, with one saying administration officials had already privately acknowledged the error.

Oz posted Friday on X that after an audit, CMS found “a terrifying reality” of federal tax dollars being spent on care for undocumented immigrants.