00:00Next is Senator Hassan. Well, thank you, Mr. Chair and Ranking Member Wyden for this markup
00:06and this opportunity to discuss the serious implications of having Dr. Oz oversee healthcare
00:12for more than 160 million Americans. First of all, Dr. Oz has shown a dangerous willingness
00:18to say or do anything that President Trump directs him to do. And during his hearing,
00:24Dr. Oz refused to commit to following the law in the event that President Trump directs him to do
00:31something illegal. That failure to commit is disqualifying. If confirmed, Dr. Oz would also
00:38be tasked with implementing the devastating cuts to Medicaid proposed by congressional Republicans,
00:44which could lead to as many as 30,000 children in my state losing their health insurance.
00:50Granite staters want Congress to increase access to healthcare, not a budget plan that would take
00:57healthcare away from children, seniors in nursing homes, and thousands of people living in rural
01:04areas of my state. Dr. Oz is one of several Trump administration nominees that say that they
01:11recognize the real difference that Medicaid and other health programs make, and yet they are
01:16joining an administration and are supported by congressional Republicans who plan to slash the
01:22health coverage and programs that people rely on. In my state, that includes parents that I just met
01:29yesterday of a young man with autism whose healthcare is provided by both Medicaid and
01:34Medicare and would not be able to obtain private insurance otherwise. It's also my constituent up
01:43in the north country over the last week expressed her concern that her twins with severe disabilities
01:50would also be pushed off of Medicaid, leaving her and her family without access to critical care
01:56for them. Finally, I will note that a number of states, including my state of New Hampshire,
02:02has something called a trigger law that applies to its Medicaid expansion program.
02:07Should the degree of federal funding for Medicaid expansion, which among other things provides
02:14critical mental health care and addiction treatment, should that go below 90 percent,
02:20which was the federal commitment for Medicaid expansion, 10 states in this country will
02:26automatically lose Medicaid expansion. So the implications here are real, they are serious,
02:34and Dr. Oz's assertion that he cares about Medicaid, that he understands how important
02:42it is, is belied by his unwillingness, as Senator Cantwell pointed out, to commit
02:47to protecting the Medicaid program and his willingness to join this administration.
02:53I urge my colleagues to join me in opposing the confirmation of Dr. Oz. Thank you.
02:58Thank you, Senator.
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