Additional Coverage:
- Dr. Oz doubles down on comments that Americans should forgo retirement to pay off national debt (irishstar.com)
Dr. Oz Doubles Down: Seniors Working Longer, Not Just for the Money, but for the Love of It?
**Washington D.C. ** – Dr.
Mehmet Oz, Administrator for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), is standing firm on his recent comments suggesting that seniors defer retirement to help tackle the national debt. His controversial stance, initially voiced earlier this week, was reiterated during a Friday morning interview on CNN.
When pressed by CNN’s Wolf Blitzer on why average Americans should shoulder the burden of the national debt rather than the ultra-rich through increased taxation, Oz offered a different perspective. “There’s many ways of dealing with the debt, but ultimately, my agency CMS, we don’t just regulate, we are the payers. We should be using the money we pay out to save lives and improve the quality of life of the American people by making them healthier,” Oz stated.
He further elaborated on his belief that a healthier populace is the nation’s “richest asset.” According to Oz, a healthier society naturally leads to a greater desire to remain active and engaged, including in the workforce, beyond traditional retirement age.
“If we make our people healthier, they’ll want to participate in life. You shouldn’t work longer because you have to.
You should work longer because you want to,” he emphasized.
Oz even turned the tables on Blitzer, playfully suggesting he “should retire,” but “you won’t, why not, because you love the job and you’re good at it,” he quipped. The 65-year-old Oz, himself within the typical retirement age bracket, echoed this sentiment, adding, “Why would we retire? We want to do more and live the dreams that we still have.”
His initial comments on Monday suggested that if Americans, feeling “healthy, vital, [and] strong,” were to work “a year earlier right out of high school or work a year later, not retire or work better during their life time because they’re healthy, it would generate about 3 trillion dollars to the U.S. economy, that would more than remove the debt.”
However, Oz’s perspective has not been universally embraced. Social media quickly became a platform for public outcry, with many users challenging his proposal and arguing that the nation’s wealthiest should contribute more to debt reduction.
Comments ranged from calls for “Billionaires and Millionaires to pay their fair share of taxes” to questioning “Who is this for? Like is there someone that watches this and gets convinced that they should be working even longer to make sure their boss can purchase another yacht?”
Other users highlighted the economic realities faced by many seniors, pointing out that some are compelled to work past retirement due to “unaffordable living costs.” One user criticized the disconnect, stating, “Most people don’t have cushy jobs sitting behind a desk spewing nonsense.
FYI a lot of seniors are still working at manual labor jobs b/c they can’t AFFORD to retire. Both Oz & Blitzer need to get out, acquaint themselves w/America.
Retirement is many times an unattainable right.” Another user succinctly summarized the debate, noting, “Interesting perspective from Dr.
Oz but is it realistic to expect everyone to want to work longer, given rising living costs, student debt, and health disparities? Personal choice vs. economic pressure seems like the real debate here.”