'I'm Voting No': Tina Smith Blasts Dr. Oz In Fiery Remarks During Senate Finance Committee Hearing

2 days ago

At a Senate Finance Committee hearing on Tuesday, Sen. Tina Smith (D-MN) spoke about the nomination of Dr. Oz to run CMS.

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Transcript

00:00Senator Smith. Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, I'm speaking today in opposition

00:05to the nomination of Dr. Oz to be the administrator of CMS. I'm voting no

00:10because of what I see as a concerted effort by the Trump administration and

00:15some congressional Republicans to use Medicaid as an ATM to pay for tax breaks

00:20for the biggest, most successful corporations and wealthy individuals. And

00:24at a time when Minnesotans are struggling to afford their lives and

00:28President Trump's policies are making it worse, not better, I can't support the

00:32nomination of Dr. Oz, who will be an enthusiastic participant in a plan that

00:37will make Medicaid health insurance harder to get and more expensive. Now, in

00:42my home state of Minnesota, 1.2 million people get their health insurance

00:45through Medicaid. These are seniors in nursing homes, moms and their kids,

00:50working families, people with disabilities, and patients struggling with

00:54mental and behavioral health challenges. Medicaid is a health insurance that

00:58covers more than half of nursing home residents in our state, and it covers one

01:02in three Minnesota children. And it is the biggest health insurer for mental

01:06and behavioral health care for Minnesotans and Americans. That's 15

01:10million Americans. But here's the reality. Taking away health insurance

01:14coverage from people won't cut sickness. People will still need health care,

01:20they just won't be able to get it in the most efficient, cost-effective way.

01:24They will get it in emergency rooms, not doctor's offices. Taking away health

01:28care insurance will hurt people, and that is the most important issue at stake

01:32here. But it will also cost more money at the end of the day. Mr. Chair, I was

01:38home this past weekend, this past week, and I have heard so many stories about

01:43Medicaid and how it saves lives. I want to share one story with the committee.

01:48Last week, I met a remarkable young woman. Appropriately, her name is Hope. As a

01:54teenager and young adult, Hope suffered from debilitating and life-threatening

01:59psychosis. If it weren't for Medicaid, says Hope, I would not be alive today. In

02:05Minnesota, Medicaid covers inpatient mental health care. Hope was committed,

02:10and she was treated in inpatient care, and she got intensive treatment for her

02:14psychosis covered by Medicaid. A diagnosis of psychosis can feel so

02:19hopeless, but Hope was able to get intensive care. She needed to learn how

02:24to understand and control her illness, and today, she is able to live

02:28independently and is able to manage her mental health. And today, she gets her

02:32health insurance through her employer. So colleagues, I am voting no on Dr. Oz

02:37because I do not trust him or this administration to follow the law and to

02:42protect our health care. I cannot trust him or this administration to run CMS to

02:47protect access to health care for Hope over the 1.2 million Minnesotans who get

02:52their insurance through Medicaid. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

'I'm Voting No': Tina Smith Blasts Dr. Oz In Fiery Remarks During Senate Finance Committee Hearing

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