Demetrios Kouzoukas sits on the board as a compensated member of a for-profit insurance company to the tune of $100,000 a year to prioritize their profit margins. This company makes money from undermining traditional Medicare through so-called “Medicare Advantage” plans that are overcharging the government by tens of billions of dollars every year, worsening Medicare’s financial footing. Shockingly, Kouzoukas has been nominated to serve as a Public Trustee to watch over Medicare’s financing.

When asked by Senator Elizabeth Warren, Kouzoukas brazenly refused to say whether he’ll stop taking private insurance company money if confirmed as a Public Trustee.

The conflict of interest at stake here is both mind-boggling and inexcusable.

Kouzoukas would be the first-ever person to receive ongoing compensation from a private, for-profit insurance company while serving the American people as a Medicare trustee.

Fraud and overbilling from Medicare Advantage plans, such as the ones marketed by Clover Health (which, again, paid Kouzoukas around $100,000 last year), is eroding Medicare’s finances to the tune of tens of billions of dollars per year. The American people need someone in the role of Public Trustee who can speak without a conflict of interest about the harm that these overcharging insurance corporations are doing to Medicare’s finances, but Kouzoukas is literally paid to ignore this. Kouzoukas refuses to promise to stop getting paid by an insurance company while serving the public as a Trustee.

Despite the enormous conflict of interest that exists here, Kouzoukas is refusing to step down from his role as a board member at a company that is ripping off Medicare. Now Demetrios Kouzoukas wants to step into a position where he could easily misinform and gaslight the public about the impact of these same corporations ripping off Medicare, in a way that personally benefits himself. This is totally unacceptable. The Senate must not confirm Kouzoukas as a Medicare Public Trustee.