 Health Care |
Health Care |
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Health advocates launch effort to bar RFK Jr. nomination |
Democratic-aligned health advocacy groups are organizing an effort to fight the nomination of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead the Department of Health and Human Services. |
Protect Our Care held an organizing call Monday for the "Stop RFK War Room" with more than 200 people in attendance representing dozens of groups interested in pushing back against Kennedy and his potential confirmation, the group's executive director Brad Woodhouse told The Hill. Protect Our Care has been a leading voice among Democratic circles to fight against GOP-led cuts to Medicaid, Medicare, the Affordable Care Act and the Inflation Reduction Act. Woodhouse said the group has priorities it is pushing for in the congressional lame duck session — like the extension of ObamaCare subsidies — but the speed at which President-elect Trump is moving on his nominations means fighting Kennedy is now the top order of business. He challenged the assumption that GOP control of the Senate will mean an automatic confirmation. "We're adding this [fight] because, I mean, at the end of the day, [Kennedy] being in a place where his voice carries more weight than it does today... is dangerous and will put people's lives at risk," Woodhouse said. Woodhouse said the groups on the call discussed the Republican senators to target and the best way to message it — which is not to "beat up" the other side. They've already hired lobbying teams targeting the home states of key GOP senators — moderate Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska; Dan Sullivan of Alaska who is up for reelection in 2026; Mike Crapo of Idaho, who is the likely chairman of the Senate Finance Committee; Thom Tillis of North Carolina, who is up for reelection in 2026 and has an uneasy relationship with the MAGA wing of the party; and current Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, who Woodhouse said is a perfect advocate for vaccines and health research because he survived polio. Woodhouse said state-level events will begin next week. They want to highlight some of the top threats that Kennedy poses to healthcare and to public health. |
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How policy will be impacting the health care sector this week and beyond: |
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Robert Redfield, former director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) under the first Trump administration, gave a vote of confidence to Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as potential head of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). NewsNation’s Brian Entin asked Redfield on Sunday whether there should be concerns that Kennedy, a well-known opponent of vaccines, will introduce a “no-vaccine culture” … |
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A leading public health organization is sounding the alarm over Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President-elect Trump's pick to lead the Department of Health and Human Services. The American Public Health Association (APHA) said Kennedy "fails on all fronts" as a candidate to lead the nation's top health agency. "We urge President-elect Trump to select a qualified health leader that is properly trained and has the management … |
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President-elect Trump's pick of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) set off immediate alarm among Democrats and public health experts, but so far the reception among key Senate Republicans has ranged from enthusiastic to open-minded. Kennedy is a prominent vaccine skeptic who argues the rise of chronic diseases in America can be traced to ultra-processed foods, environmental toxins … |
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Upcoming news themes and events we're watching: |
- A House Appropriations subcommittee will hold a Tuesday hearing on the National Institutes of Health.
- A House Judiciary subcommittee will hold a hearing Thursday on oversight of the Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Refugee Resettlement.
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Branch out with a different read: |
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Democrats are wrestling with the role the party's broad support for transgender rights played in its failure to capture the presidency and either chamber of Congress, with sharp views being exchanged in a party reeling from its losses. |
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Local and state headlines on health care: |
- Bird flu kills more than half of WA tern colony (The Seattle Times)
- Massachusetts' big economic development bill also seeks to improve local health authorities (Worcester Telegram & Gazette)
- An Idaho regional health department banned COVID vaccines. Will others follow? (Salon)
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Health news we've flagged from other outlets: |
- More kindergarteners are getting vaccine exemptions (Axios)
- Lilly pill cuts genetic form of cholesterol nearly 86 percent in study (Reuters)
- Nomination of RFK Jr reflects a broader shake-up in the politics of health (The Christian Science Monitor)
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Opinions related to health submitted to The Hill: |
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