 Health Care |
Health Care |
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Advocates say RFK Jr. poses risks to nation's health |
A new report from advocacy group Protect Our Care argues Robert F. Kennedy Jr. could endanger the nation's health system if confirmed as Health and Human Services secretary. |
Provided first to The Hill, the report from the left-leaning advocacy group uses Kennedy's own words and news stories about the Trump pick to paint a picture of a man they say is a "threat to public health." Kennedy has a long history of vaccine skepticism, including spreading the false and discredited claim that the measles, mumps and rubella shot can cause autism. If he's confirmed as Health and Human Services secretary, Kennedy would oversee the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institutes of Health and the Food and Drug Administration, the agencies in charge of reviewing and approving new vaccines and recommending which shots people should get. The report calls Kennedy a leading vaccine skeptic and says he has no qualifying experience to run the federal health department. "Kennedy does have a long and well-documented history of erratic and bizarre behavior that may have been in part caused by parasitic brain worms and mercury poisoning," the report states. The document highlights Kennedy's pledge to pause infectious disease research and redirect funding away from epidemiology and toward chronic diseases. 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. The organization recently turned its attention to Kennedy. "People will lose their lives with RFK Jr. as HHS Secretary," the group's executive director Brad Woodhouse said in a statement. "Make no mistake: RFK Jr. is a MAGA loyalist who has no problem being Trump's puppet. Kennedy's long history of espousing misinformation has had deadly consequences, and in a position like HHS secretary, the damage would be insurmountable." |
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How policy will be impacting the health care sector this week and beyond: |
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The Supreme Court's conservatives appeared to lean toward upholding Tennessee's ban on gender-affirming care for minors in a blockbuster showdown over transgender rights Wednesday. Over 2 1/2 hours of arguments, several conservative justices questioned the Biden administration's assertion of "overwhelming" evidence that the benefits of giving some adolescents experiencing gender dysphoria puberty blockers and hormone treatments … |
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Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said on Wednesday he'd like to cut government spending for PBS and for Planned Parenthood, but he noted he might face some push back from Congress first. "I would like to. That’s for sure," Johnson said in an interview on Fox News's "The Story with Martha MacCallum," when asked whether he plans to axe the two organizations. Host Martha MacCallum noted they could be prime targets for Republicans' … |
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A manhunt is underway in New York for the suspect who shot the CEO of the country's largest private health insurer Wednesday morning. Police said UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was shot and killed outside the New York Hilton Hotel in midtown Manhattan, where UnitedHealth Group was holding its annual investor conference. Here's what to know: Police say Thompson was targeted New York police commissioner … |
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Branch out with a different read: |
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Jamie Foxx pushes on Capitol Hill for more Down syndrome research funding in honor of sister |
Oscar-winning actor Jamie Foxx joined lawmakers on Capitol Hill Wednesday to push for more funding for the National Institute of Health's (NIH) research program on Down syndrome. The DeOndra Dixon INCLUDE Project Act, named after Foxx's late sister who had Down syndrome, has already passed the House and been introduced to the Senate. The Global Down Syndrome Foundation (GLOBAL) worked with Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.), … |
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Local and state headlines on health care: |
- If Trump makes cuts to Medicaid, Texas officials could seize the opportunity to further slash the program (The Texas Tribune)
- California bans food 'sell by' dates. Will it save you money without getting you sick? (The LA Times)
- Lawsuit seeks to undo 15-week abortion ban that conflicts with expanded access in Arizona (ABC)
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Health news we've flagged from other outlets: |
- Research shows more than 150 million mental diagnoses may be linked to lead in gasoline (CNN)
- How raw milk went from hippie to MAGA (New York Magazine)
- Nursing homes fell behind on vaccinating patients for COVID (KFF Health News)
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Most read stories on The Hill right now: |
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Senate Republicans say Pete Hegseth, President-elect Trump's choice to head the Defense Department, faces a very tough path to confirmation in the … Read more |
| President-elect Trump said he would nominate former Rep. Billy Long (R-Mo.) to serve as the commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) in a … Read more |
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