Click in for more news from The Hill{beacon} Health Care Health Care   The Big Story Dr. Oz’s charm offensive Dr. Mehmet Oz, President Trump’s pick to lead the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), largely dodged questions from Democrats on Friday abo ut whether he supported potential cuts to Medicaid. © Greg Nash, The Hill Oz, who ran unsuccessfully for Senate in 2022, spoke in broad generalities during his confirmation hearing, using the flair of a seasoned television host to avoid being pinned down on specifics on how he would run the $1.7 trillion agency.   A day after senators complained about the unpreparedness of the White House’s pick to lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, whose nomination was pulled an hour before his confirmation hearing, Oz’s charm was on full display.  He prefaced each of his answers by sharing a memory from a recent a one-on-one meeting, and then responding to a point the senator made during that meeting.  But after the two-and-a-half hour hearing, it was still difficult to get a sense of how Oz will run the country’s insurance programs — Medicare, Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act’s health exchanges.   Still, his questioning was much less harsh than some of President Trump’s other nominees.    Under consistent prodding from Democrats about his plans for Medicaid, the joint state and federal program for low-income Americans, Oz declined to outright oppose any cuts.    Oz said only that he wants to ensure there are providers who will accept Medicaid patients and that they are paid fairly under the program.    Oz gave a glimpse into how he views Medicaid by saying he supports work requirements, and suggested ObamaCare’s Medicaid expansion has grown the program far beyond its original purpose.     “The rapid expansion of the required expenses of monies for Medicaid is far beyond what was ever envisioned when ACA was originally passed,” he said. “It is one of the ways we can do better.”    In one notable shift, Oz indicated he thinks private Medicare Advantage insurers are being overpaid by the government. The U.S. is “paying more for Medicare Advantage than we’re paying for regular Medicare, so it’s upside down,” Oz said.   Previously, Oz had been a champion of Medicare Advantage plans and once advocated for “Medicare Advantage for All,” expanding the program to enroll all Americans who are not on Medicaid.   Welcome to The Hill’s Health Care newsletter, we’re Nathaniel Weixel, Joseph Choi and Alejandra O'Connell-Domenech — every week we follow the latest moves on how Washington impacts your health.   Did someone forward you this newsletter? Subscribe here.  Essential Reads How policy will be impacting the health care sector this week and beyond:  Wyden, Sanders blocked from attempt to pass stand-alone health packageSens. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) were blocked Friday from passing a package of health policies, including changes to the pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) industry that was left out of December’s government spending bill.  Wyden, the top Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee, attempted to pass the bipartisan legislation by unanimous consent. It was blocked by Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.), who made no comments …  Full Story   US sees 300-plus measles cases, highest in a year since 2019The U.S. has recorded more than 300 cases of measles in just the first three months of this year, according to data published Friday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the most infections recorded in a single year since 2019.   More than 90 percent of those cases are linked to a growing outbreak that began in western Texas and has now spread to New Mexico. The Texas Department of State Health Services …  Full Story   Missouri AG orders Planned Parenthood to stop medication abortions they don’t offerMissouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey issued cease-and-desist orders against Planned Parenthood facilities in the state to bar them from offering medication abortions even though they do not provide them.   “Planned Parenthood has a documented history of subverting state law, including failure to file complication reports,” Bailey said in a press release issued Wednesday.   “This cease and desist letter ensures …  Full Story   The Hill event  Health Next Summit | Wednesday, March 26 | 8:15 a.m. - noon ET | Washington, D.C. & streaming nationwide  The first installment of The Hill's Health Next Summit will be held on March 26 as we deliver insights on President Trump's health care policies and agenda. RSVP here.  In Other News Branch out with a different read:Almost 7 in 10 concerned about measles outbreak: Poll More than two-thirds of respondents in a new poll say they are concerned about the measles outbreak in Texas and New Mexico. In a Quinnipiac University poll released Thursday, 69 percent of respondents say they are concerned about the outbreak, including 36 percent who say they’re “very” concerned and 33 percent who say they’re “somewhat” concerned. Meanwhile, 15 percent of respondents say they are “not so concerned” and 14 … Full Story   Around the Nation Local and state headlines on health care:California borrows $3.4 billion for Medicaid overrun as Congress eyes steep cuts (KFF Health News)  Iowa House lawmakers pass bill requiring most University of Iowa medical, dental college students have Iowa roots (Iowa Capital Dispatch)  Texas attorney general says trans residents can’t use court orders to change sex on driver’s licenses, birth certificates (The Texas Tribune)  What We're Reading Health news we've flagged from other outlets: Bird flu kills two house cats in New York City, health officials say (The New York Times)  COVID made shortages of doctors and nurses even worse. Rural hospitals still struggle (NPR)  Hale Harvey III, physician who transformed abortion care, dies at 93 (The Washington Post) What Others are Reading  Most read stories on The Hill right now:Live updates: Senate averts government shutdown; Trump lays out plan for DOJ The Senate on Friday voted to avert a government shutdown, just hours before the midnight deadline. The stopgap funding bill bill, which narrowly passed … Read more Senate votes to avoid government shutdown The Senate voted mostly along party lines Friday afternoon to pass the House Republican-drafted bill to fund government through September, avoiding … Read more What People Think Opinions related to health submitted to The Hill: Once kids start dying, we’ll see how people really feel about immunization mandatesRestore Medicaid’s intent: Prioritize the most vulnerable over able-bodied childless adults    You're all caught up. See you next week!  Close Thank you for signing up! 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