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Senate Committee to Vote on Advancing Dr. Oz Confirmation
The Senate Finance Committee held a vote on Tuesday, March 25 at 8:30 AM CT to advance the nomination of Dr. Mehmet Oz to become Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS.) The Finance Committee held its confirmation hearing with Dr. Oz on March 14, covering a range of policy issues pertinent to aging services.
LeadingAge was actively engaged with Committee members prior to the hearing, providing suggested questions to gain clarity on Dr. Oz’s policy positions regarding nursing home staffing, Medicare Advantage, potential Medicaid cuts under consideration by Congress, and other issues relevant to aging services. If approved by the Committee, Dr. Oz’s nomination would advance to the full Senate where he is widely expected to be confirmed.
Proposed Medicaid Cuts Equal Total Cost to Serve all Older Adults and People with Disabilities in US
KFF released analysis on March 24 of the magnitude of the proposed $880 billion in congressional cuts to Medicaid as they related to state budgets. The brief reiterates that if congress takes drastic steps and reduces Federal Medicaid spending at the levels they are considering, states will be forced to make significant policy changes in how they spend general fund dollars on other programs like education and transportation, while likely still needing to make service, population, or rate reductions to balance their budgets.
Raising state taxes via income, property, or sales tax could also offset any shortfalls. States use balanced budgeting, meaning they can’t borrow more than their collected revenues or take on debts for covering services to residents. Authors include reminders that the analysis is illustrative but could be variable depending upon how changes are enacted – meaning some policies like reductions in the FMAP floor would disproportionately reduce federal spending in states with already lower relative FMAPs. Authors conclude that congressional cuts of the order being discussed would equate to each of the below:
- A 29% increase in state Medicaid spending per state resident
- A 6% increase in state tax burden per resident, or
- A 19 % reduction in education spending per pupil
Though states aren’t likely to take each of these policy options in total, they are offered to demonstrate how these cost shifts being considered in congress could affect people in each state. Read the full issue brief here.
Weekly Recaps: March 26, 2025
Affordable Housing Weekly Recap. Here is your weekly Affordable Housing Weekly Recap.
Home Health Weekly Recap. Here is your weekly Home Health Weekly Recap.
Hospice Weekly Recap. Here is your weekly Hospice Weekly Recap.
Life Plan Community Weekly Recap. Here is your weekly Life Plan Community Recap.
Medicaid, HCBS, and PACE Weekly Recap. Here is your weekly Medicaid, HCBS, and PACE Weekly Recap.
Nursing Home Weekly Recap. Here is your weekly Nursing Home Weekly Recap.
