On November 5, 2024, the 47th President of the United States was elected. Donald Trump won the presidential election this year. As Trump begins his second term as president, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr an Environmental lawyer and Anti-Vaccine activist, has been assigned by Trump to change the healthcare agenda.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr is an American politician who became independent on October 9, 2023. He is the son of Attorney General Robert Kennedy and the nephew of former President John Kennedy.
RFK Jr. was in the running for the 2024 presidential election but suspended his bid and began to endorse Trump. Many family members, including his siblings, were outraged by his decision. Even his brother Max Kennedy said, “Our brother Boddy’s decision to endorse Trump is a betrayal of the values that our father and our family hold most dear”. This was said in a statement from the five Kennedys called “a sad ending to a sad story”.
RFK Jr.’s decision to endorse Trump has broken many opinions. However, it wouldn’t just end there. On the day Trump was elected president, Kennedy was appointed by Trump to be his new advisor for health, medicine, and food policy.
There could be a massive shift in how healthcare would work with Kennedy being in charge of the Department of Health and Human Services. There is a list of things that Trump’s administration says they’re gonna do for healthcare moving forward, such as the change of Obamacare in whether to increase the cost without having subsidies increase. According to Leslie Dach, executive director of Protect Our Care, “They’re going to raise costs for millions of Americans and rip coverage away from millions and, meanwhile, they will give tax breaks to rich people.”
Trump vowed that he would protect healthcare, even putting Kennedy in charge of the HHS, CDC, FDA, and NIH. Trump is putting healthcare in the hands of someone who has no background in any form of health. There have been multiple times where Kennedy has made inaccurate statements in his campaign runs. This makes the people question if what Trump is trying to do for healthcare is going to work with Kennedy being in charge.
Healthcare has been going up and down in terms of accessibility to adults in the U.S. Since 2022, healthcare costs have gone from 61% to 55% as of 2024. The healthcare price has increased for more Back and Hispanic adults, as it’s based on their income. The Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, was established in March 2010 and signed by Former President Barack Obama. This was made to have affordable health insurance and expand coverage to families that are near the poverty level.
Trump promised Kennedy full “control” over the health department. Will Kennedy truly be up for the task of changing healthcare for the better? In a social media post, Kennedy describes the use of fluorine which is commonly used in drinking water. “An industrial waste associated with arthritis, bone fractures, bone cancer, IQ loss, neurodevelopmental disorders, and thyroid disease.”
Kennedy made this claim about fluorine in water even though it strengthens the teeth and prevents cavities. This was corrected by the C.D.C. and the American Dental Association. This wouldn’t be the last time that Kennedy has spread false information to the public.
From a social media post, Kennedy spread false information about vaccines being the cause of autism. Trump has praised Kennedy for his views on the health issue even though the ideas that he brought up have been false or debunked.
Either way, Trump has a plan for Kennedy and maybe even a bigger role than the health department itself. The claims that Kennedy says he’s gonna do for the U.S. and its health can’t be fulfilled until he’s elected by Congress to do so.
We’ve seen the ideas that Kennedy had in store for the people of the United States. Some will say Kennedy’s involvement would be for the best and his healthcare change would be better for the people, while others would say the amount of false information that he spreads on X( Twitter) is outrageous, and he’s not well suited for this position for our country.
