RFK Jr clears crucial Senate vote: What could US’ health system look like under him?

Robert F Kennedy Jr’s candidacy for America’s secretary of Health and Human Services got a boost on Tuesday.

The full US Senate will vote on the nomination of Kennedy Jr – a noted vaccine sceptic – after its finance committee cleared the name of the controversial Trump pick on party lines.

“For too long, Americans have been crushed by the industrial food complex and drug companies who have engaged in deception, misinformation, and disinformation when it comes to Public Health,” Trump previously wrote while announcing Kennedy Jr as his pick.

He said RFK “will play a big role in helping ensure that everybody will be protected from harmful chemicals, pollutants, pesticides, pharmaceutical products, and food additives that have contributed to the overwhelming Health Crisis in this Country.”

But what happened? And could America’s health system look like under Kennedy Jr?

Let’s take a closer look:

What happened?

The US Senate Finance Committee confirmed Kennedy Jr 14-13.

The vote was split on party lines with all Democrats opposing Kennedy Jr’s nomination and every Republican voting for it.

The development came after Republican Senator Bill Cassidy voted for Kennedy Jr.

Cassidy claimed Kennedy Jr promised him to leave the US’ childhood vaccination programme intact.

Cassidy, a doctor from Louisiana, explained his decision on X, “I’ve had very intense conversations with Bobby and the White House over the weekend and even this morning. I want to thank VP JD specifically for his honest counsel.”

“With the serious commitments I’ve received from the administration and the opportunity to make progress on the issues we agree on like healthy foods and a pro-American agenda, I will vote yes.”

Cassidy, interestingly, was one of just seven Republicans in the Senate who voted to convict Trump in the January 6 impeachment case.

Trump, prior to the vote, gave Kennedy Jr’s nomination a boost on social media.

“20 years ago, Autism in children was 1 in 10,000,” Trump wrote. “NOW IT’S 1 in 34. WOW! Something’s really wrong. We need BOBBY!!! Thank You!”

Senate Democrats have vowed to fight Kennedy Jr’s nomination.

The Independent quoted Senator Ron Wyden, the top Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee, as saying, “We are going to keep fighting for every possible vote on the floor.”

“I will just tell you this is the most unqualified nominee I have encountered in my more than 40 years in public service.”

Georgia Senator Raphael Warnock said Trump would allow Kennedy Jr to “go wild” on health care.

As per WION, Warnock described Kennedy Jr as “manifestly unqualified.”

“I simply do not trust him to oversee the CDC. He’s unqualified and I say everybody here knows it.”

What could America’s health system look like under Kennedy Jr?

First, let’s take a brief look at the Health and Human Services (HHS).

The agency has a budget of $1.7 trillion.

As per CBS News, the HHS comprises the National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Food and Drug Administration, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the Office of the Surgeon General and many more such departments.

As Secretary of HHS, Kennedy Jr would be responsible for food and hospital inspections, providing health insurance for millions of Americans and researching deadly diseases.

Kennedy Jr, who has vowed to ‘make America healthy again,’ is a noted vaccine sceptic.

He has previously claimed that “there’s no vaccine that is safe and effective.”

He has also claimed that vaccines can cause autism – which experts say the data doesn’t bear out.

Experts say they are concerned by Kennedy Jr’s views on vaccines.

“He claims that vaccine safety data is ‘hidden’—it is not—and that no placebo controlled studies have been done with respect to vaccines. They have,” Katrine Wallace, PhD, epidemiologist and adjunct assistant professor at the University of Illinois Chicago School of Public Health, told Fortune.

“He also spread COVID-19 misinformation and sowed doubt about vaccines during the pandemic. He doesn’t change course when actual evidence is presented, or when flaws in his logic are explained.”

“An administration that is supportive of anti-science rhetoric and misinformation will only cause the vaccine coverage to decrease further, and we will see more vaccine-preventable illness, death, and disability,” Wallace added.

Kennedy Jr has vowed to take a sledgehammer to the FDA.

In October, Kennedy Jr promised that the “FDA’s war on public health is about to end.”

“This includes its aggressive suppression of psychedelics, peptides, stem cells, raw milk, hyperbaric therapies, chelating compounds, ivermectin, hydroxychloroquine, vitamins, clean foods, sunshine, exercise, nutraceuticals, and anything else that advances human health and can’t be patented by Pharma,” Kennedy Jr wrote on X.

“If you work for the FDA and are part of this corrupt system, I have two messages for you: 1. Preserve your records, and 2. Pack your bags.”

But experts say Kennedy Jr can only do so much to affect its working.

Dan Troy, former FDA chief counsel and managing director of BRG, told Fortune, “It is difficult for any one person to drive seismic change within the context of a law-constrained bureaucracy such as the FDA.”

Troy said changing a rule “takes years,” and “a notice of proposed rule-making is dozens, if not hundreds of papers. It requires an economic analysis. It’s a team sport and it requires a lot of collaboration.”

“One cannot just sit in the White House and issue pronouncements and expect that policy is going to change,” Troy added. “That’s just not the way it works. It takes time, energy, effort, and working with the staff and in the system to really make dramatic changes.”

Kennedy Jr has promised to remove fluoride from the drinking water.

Dr Céline Gounder, the editor-at-large for public health at KFF Health News, told CBS that the US puts fluoride in the water to reduce the risk of cavities – particularly in children.

“The level of fluoride in US water is safe and protects against tooth decay,” Gounder said.

She said Kennedy Jr’s remarks betray a fundamental misunderstanding about public health.

“….We are the United States of America — public health powers reside at the state level. The federal government has the authority to tax and spend and to regulate commerce across state lines, and federal government authorities derive from that,” Gounder noted.

She said the CDC does not mandate fluoridation – rather it gives scientific guidance and leaves the rest up to the state and local authorities.

“The EPA sets the maximum allowable fluoride concentration in public water systems. But states have the authority to mandate fluoridation or can leave it up to local jurisdictions,” Gounder added.

Gounder also slammed Kennedy Jr’s views on autism.

“Extensive research has conclusively shown that vaccines do not cause autism. The “research” behind these claims was retracted due to ethical violations and sloppy work. The doctor who originally made those claims lost his medical license as a result of his professional misconduct,” Gounder noted.

Gounder added that such claims distracting people from the real causes of autism and how autism can be diagnosed and treated.

She called such claims “unproductive and harmful.”

With inputs from agencies