RFK Jr. Faces Scrutiny from Democrats on Vaccines and Medicare, Medicaid

In an often contentious and partisan confirmation hearing before Senate Committee on Finance, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the HHS secretary nominee, as expected focused his initial remarks on healthy eating and the rise of chronic disease. He promised radical transparency in HHS as both Republican and Democratic Senators quizzed him about Medicare and Medicaid, and he agreed to work with both parties on rural healthcare and addressing PBM reform.

Democratic senators also brought up Kennedy’s many books and podcast appearances in which he questioned vaccine safety and reproductive health, and they expressed frustration that he was now changing his position. When questioned, Kennedy often brought up his support for President Donald Trump’s policies and how the president has tasked him with Making America Healthy Again, which prioritizes healthy eating and efforts to reduce chronic disease, particularly among children.

In his opening statement, Kennedy addressed how cancer among younger people has grown; the increases in the number of people with autoimmune disease, Alzheimer’s, asthma, and depression and addiction; diabetes is 10 times more prevalent now than in the 1960s and how many people are overweight or obese.

“The United States has worse health than any other developed nation, and we spend more on healthcare, at least other than in some cases, tripled as other countries last year, we spent $4.8 trillion,” he said. “Should I be so privileged as to be confirmed, we will make sure our tax dollars support healthy foods. We will scrutinize the chemical additives in our food supply. We will remove financial conflicts of interest from our agencies. We will create an honest, unbiased, gold standard science at HHS.”

Kennedy insisted during questioning that he isn’t anti-vaccine and he wants to find common ground to address American’s healthcare issues. He called chronic disease an existential threat “economically, to our military and health and to our sense of well-being.” If confirmed, he said he will address the harm from environmental toxins and processed foods, provide healthy meals in schools.

Several senators quoted some of Kennedy’s divisive comments about vaccines and the CDC, and about lowering prescription drug prices. Senators such as Michael Bennet, a Democrat from Colorado, indicated it was disturbing that they are being asked "to put somebody in this job who has spent 50 years not honoring the tradition that he talked about at the beginning of this conversation, but peddling in half truths, peddling in false statements, peddling in theories that you know create doubt about whether or not things that we know are safe are unsafe."

Sen. Ron Wyden

Sen. Ron Wyden, the highest ranking Democrat, said in his opening statement: “Mr. Kennedy has embraced conspiracy theories, quacks, charlatans, especially when it comes to the safety and efficacy of vaccines. He has discouraged parents from getting their kids life-saving vaccines. It has been lucrative for him, and put him on the verge of immense power. This is the profile of someone who chases money and influence wherever they lead, even if that may mean the tragic deaths children and other vulnerable people.”

During questioning, Wyden asked Kennedy if he was lying when in a podcast in 2020 when Kennedy said he would do anything to go back in time and not vaccinate his kids. “Are you lying to Congress today when you say you are pro vaccine?” he asked. “You have a history of trying to take vaccines away from people. In May of 2021 you petitioned the Food and Drug Administration to not only block Americans from having access to the COVID vaccine, but to prevent any future access to the life-saving vaccine.”

Kennedy insisted that the petition was filled because the CDC recommended the COVID-19 vaccine without scientific basis for children six year of age and older, saying there was zero risk to those children.

Kennedy was asked by Sen. Thom Tillis, a Republican from North Carolina, if he was a conspiracy theorist. Kennedy said that was a pejorative applied to him "mainly to keep me from asking difficult questions. That label was applied to me because I said that the COVID vaccine didn't prevent transmission and wouldn't prevent infection. When the government was telling people, Americans that it would."

Sen. Maggie Hassan

Sen. Maggie Hassan, a Democrat from New Hampshire, also expressed concern about Kennedy’s endorsement of fringe conspiracies, especially around COVID-19 and Anthony Fauci, M.D., who led the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, during the pandemic. Kennedy authored several books about COVID-19, including one that argued Fauci along with Bill Gates had an agenda to spread fearful information about the virus and shut down dissent.

“I am extremely concerned that as Secretary, you would be able to hold up critical vaccine research and exploit parents’ natural worries by advising them not to vaccinate their children,” Hassan said during the hearing. “This will lead to more children getting sick …There is no reason that any of us should believe that you have reversed the anti-vaccine views that you have promoted for 25 years.”

Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, a Democrat from Rhode Island, said that Kennedy frightens people with what he says about vaccines. “If you want to move from advocacy to public responsibility, Americans are going to need to hear a clear and trustworthy recantation of what you have said on vaccinations, including a promise from you never to say vaccines aren't medically safe when they in fact, and making indisputably clear that you support mandatory vaccinations against diseases,” he told Kennedy.

Separately, Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, a Democrat from Nevada, questioned Kennedy about the Reduction Act and if he would support the effort to negotiate prescription drug prices in Medicare. “We've already negotiated the first 10 drugs, and we want to expand it to the next 15 that the Biden administration has put forward. Would you agree and continue that path of really mandating that big pharma come to the table and negotiate drug prices for Medicare so we can lower those prices for Americans?,” she asked him.

Kennedy would not specifically answer the question, saying only that President Trump asked him to address the chronic disease epidemic and made America healthy. “If we don’t solve that problem, Senator, all of the other disputes we have about who's paying and whether it’s insurance companies, whether it’s providers, whether it’s HMOs, whether patients or families, all of those are moving deck chairs around on the Titanic. Our ship is sinking.”

Medicare and Medicaid

Sen. Bill Cassidy

Kennedy struggled at times to answer questions about Medicaid, Medicare and dual eligibles that were asked by Sen. Bill Cassidy, a Louisiana Republican who chairs the Senate health committee that Kennedy is scheduled to appear before tomorrow. When Cassidy calmly but firmly pressed Kennedy to offer some specifics about reforming Medicaid, he responded with general answers about telehealth, artificial intelligence and value-based care. At one point, Kennedy misstated hat Medicaid is fully paid for by the federal government when in actuality it is financed jointly by states and the federal government.

Kennedy got tangled up when he tried to answer Cassidy’s questions about how Medicare and Medicaid might be integrated to improve the care of “dual eligibles”— people who are old enough to be eligible for Medicare but whose incomes are low enough to make them eligible for Medicaid. “I don’t know the answer to that. I look forward to exploring options with you,” he said to Cassidy.

Kennedy mentioned value-based care at least twice and, in the context of Medicaid reform, he said “we need to keep our eye on the ultimate goal, which is value-based care, which is transparency, accountability, access” He also mentioned bringing cooperatives and health savings account into the Medicare and Medicaid programs.