Three local members of Congress call on Dr. Oz to fix nation's nursing homes

Yahoo

06-05-2025

PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) — A picture that captures a wedding party also captures a father wrapped in love. He spent his last days with family members who altered their lives to care for him at home.
In health and in sickness, my mother would often sing, 'Give me my flowers while I'm living.' She died at home surrounded by her children. Another photo captures that last touch, COVID-19 style, as a son prepared to say goodbye for the last time to his mother, who had a vibrant lifestyle at a local facility.
In sharp contrast, how loved ones spend their last days in Medicare and Medicaid supported facilities is top of mind for local members of Congress. Rep. Rob Wittman, who represents voters in Virginia's first congressional district, said he went through this with his parents.
'My parents were in these sorts of these facilities in the same area in Central Virginia,' Wittman said. 'We experienced those things as a family. My parents experienced those things with their parents.'
Wittman is looking into a facility in Chesterfield County, where there were not only complaints of poor conditions, but also, 16 employees were arrested late last year on allegations of elder abuse.
'I've seen these issues where, at the time, we were concerned,' Wittman said. 'So when I hear about this again, it really hits home for us because I have experienced it and seen that when things aren't done properly at these nursing homes, the patients there suffer. And not only do the patients suffer, but the families do too.'
Wittman, along with Democratic Sens. Tim Kaine and Mark Warner, are calling on Dr. Mehmet Oz, president Trump's new point man on Medicare and Medicaid to not only look into how Medicare and Medicaid are spending tax dollars, but also how our loved ones are spending the last days, their last hours and their last minutes.
A 2024 report from the Department of Health and Human Services showed, in one scheme, skilled nursing facilities overbilled the government by $1.7 million. Other crimes involve multi-million-dollar fraud schemes.
'And that's a deep concern,' Wittman said. 'So we're going to continue to shine a light on this, continue to focus on this. And I'm so glad to have Sen. Warner, Sen. Kaine, as part of our efforts to get this done.'
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