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<\/p>\nThe top Trump ally was grilled for defending plans to solve a problem that the \u201cadministration may have created.\u201d <\/p>\n
Dr. Mehmet Oz struggled to get his words out as he tried to defend a Trump administration plan to inject money into rural hospitals.<\/p>\n
In an interview with Molly Martinez of Gray Media\u2019s Washington News Bureau, Oz, Trump\u2019s administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, was grilled about the rural health fund, which is due to distribute $50 billion in grants to rural hospitals over the next four years.<\/p>\n
As Martinez pointed out, the plan arrived after Donald Trump\u2019s flagship Big Beautiful spending bill, which will cut an estimated $137 billion in federal Medicaid spending in rural areas over the next 10 years.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere was money there, so this seems to be a solution to a problem that the administration may have created,\u201d Martinez said.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Questions remain about how Donald Trump\u2019s Rural Health Transformation Program will distribute the $50 billion fund, which Mehmet Oz has defended.<\/p>\n
Oz slightly stammered while accusing Martinez of \u201crepeating talking points that are not only wrong but deliberately duplicitous.\u201d<\/p>\n
Oz added that the $137 billion figure is a \u201ctalking point from industry,\u201d with independent health policy research organization KFF<\/a> among those estimating Trump\u2019s bill would drastically cut federal Medicaid funding to rural areas.<\/p>\n Get the best of The Beast delivered right to your inbox<\/p>\n \u201cWhen I give Medicaid dollars on behalf of the taxpayers to a state, the question is how much of it dribbles down to rural healthcare,\u201d Oz said.<\/p>\n \u201cIn reality, the people who run the big hospitals and big systems in the big cities and their lobbyists have better access to the governor of the state. They get to direct where that money goes, so it stays stuck in the big cities. It never trickles down to rural America.<\/p>\n \u201cThe $50 billion we\u2019re putting into rural healthcare system is a 50-percent increase over the amount of money we put into Medicaid in those systems from last year,\u201d Oz added, while once again stumbling over his words. \u201cIt\u2019s the biggest increase ever.\u201d<\/p>\n The widening disparity between healthcare access in rural and urban areas\u2014including lack of easy access to hospitals and primary care\u2014has caused a severe crisis in the country.<\/p>\n In 2024, the American Medical Association (AMA) estimated <\/a>that death rates for the 46 million Americans who live in rural areas are around 20 percent higher than those of those who live in cities. The imbalance will also have an outsized impact on the GOP, with rural voters being a key Republican demographic<\/a> in any election cycle. <\/p>\n Molly Martinez said the rural health fund is trying to fix a problem the Trump administration caused.<\/p>\n Martinez grilled Oz further on his claims and suggested that the Trump administration is merely putting $50 billion into a system \u201cthat you just robbed of $137 billion.\u201d<\/p>\n A stammering Oz once again suggested Martinez was being \u201cincorrect and dishonest and deliberately duplicative, um, duplicitous.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMy sources here are the Center for American Progress, it\u2019s the Congressional Budget Office,\u201d Martinez fired back. \u201cThere are plenty of people working to show the damage that this is doing to rural healthcare, and the people are the ones that are dying on the way to the hospital that\u2019s two hours away.\u201d<\/p>\n Martinez shared a clip of her interview with the top Trump ally on X Wednesday, adding: \u201cThings got heated today with Dr. Oz.\u201d<\/p>\n Unlock a year of full access to The Daily Beast for $35.<\/p>\n What’s IncludedUnlimited access (web + app)Exclusive ad-free newslettersCommenting accessDaily crosswordSneak peek of launches & events<\/p>\n Auto-renews at $5.99 monthly. Cancel anytime<\/p>\n What’s IncludedDiscounted annual rate – Save 47%Unlimited access (web + app)Exclusive ad-free newslettersCommenting accessDaily crosswordSneak peek of launches & events<\/p>\n Auto-renews at $59.99 yearly. Cancel anytime<\/p>\n Best Value<\/p>\n What’s IncludedDiscounted annual rateFull access to the Daily Beast Substack ($60 value)*Premium ad-free readingUnlimited access (web + app)Exclusive ad-free newslettersCommenting accessDaily crosswordSneak peek of launches & events<\/p>\n Auto-renews at $119.99 yearly. Cancel anytime<\/p>\n *Substack access provided by the next business day, using your subscription email. Choosing the Premium plan constitutes your permission to share your subscription email with Substack and your agreement to Substack\u2019s Privacy Policy<\/a>.<\/p>\n Looks like you already have a subscription!<\/p>\n You’re all set!<\/p>\n Thanks for subscribing.<\/p>\n Back to plans<\/p>\n Subscription$0.00<\/p>\n Total$0.00<\/p>\n Continue with GoogleContinue with FacebookLoading subscription options Register below to read this article for free\u00a0 or subscribe SubscribeRegister<\/p>\n What’s IncludedUnlimited access (web + app)Exclusive ad-free newslettersCommenting accessDaily crosswordSneak peek of launches & events<\/p>\n Auto-renews at $5.99 monthly. Cancel anytime<\/p>\n What’s IncludedDiscounted annual rate – Save 47%Unlimited access (web + app)Exclusive ad-free newslettersCommenting accessDaily crosswordSneak peek of launches & events<\/p>\n Auto-renews at $59.99 yearly. Cancel anytime<\/p>\n Best Value<\/p>\n What’s IncludedDiscounted annual rateFull access to the Daily Beast Substack ($60 value)*Premium ad-free readingUnlimited access (web + app)Exclusive ad-free newslettersCommenting accessDaily crosswordSneak peek of launches & events<\/p>\n Auto-renews at $119.99 yearly. Cancel anytime<\/p>\n *Substack access provided by the next business day, using your subscription email. Choosing the Premium plan constitutes your permission to share your subscription email with Substack and your agreement to Substack\u2019s Privacy Policy<\/a>.<\/p>\n![\"Molly](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/SBJHIDLAIZA5VH7Z6EVSCTOGJQ.png\")
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