John Oliver uses a brutal parody ad to take aim at Medicaid

Medicaid, the public health program for low income families, has a number of issues, ranging from people abruptly losing their coverage to organisations costing states millions through fraudulent billing.

As John Oliver points out in the Last Week Tonight video above, though, so much of the conversation seems to focus on scare-mongering about the people actually using the program.

“So much of the talk around Medicaid seems to centre on the fear that someone, somewhere, might be gaming the system,” says Oliver. “Again and again, the priority seems to be making sure no individual gets a penny more healthcare than they deserve, even as states are weirdly blithe about much bigger amounts of money flowing out the door to large organizations.”

To really drill the point home, Oliver enlists comedian Amber Ruffin to help create a nightmarish parody ad featuring talking fruit and vegetables.