Despite
opposition
from
Democrats,
Robert
F.
Kennedy
Jr.
was
confirmed
as
Health
and
Human
Services
secretary
by
the
Senate
on
Thursday.
RFK
Jr.
has
drawn
some
criticism
over
his
skepticism
of
vaccines,
though
he
attempted
to
remove
himself
from
this
during
the
confirmation
process.
He
won
the
Senate
vote
52
to
48,
with
no
Democrats
voting
in
his
favor.
The
one
Republican
to
vote
against
RFK
Jr.
was
Senator
Mitch
McConnell
of
Kentucky,
largely
due
to
RFK
Jr.’s
views
on
vaccines.
“In
my
lifetime,
I’ve
watched
vaccines
save
millions
of
lives
from
devastating
diseases
across
America
and
around
the
world,”
McConnell
said
in
a
statement.
“I
will
not
condone
the
re-litigation
of
proven
cures,
and
neither
will
millions
of
Americans
who
credit
their
survival
and
quality
of
life
to
scientific
miracles.
…
Mr.
Kennedy
failed
to
prove
he
is
the
best
possible
person
to
lead
America’s
largest
health
agency.”
Since
RFK
Jr.’s
confirmation,
a
flood
of
healthcare
leaders
have
come
out
to
share
what
health
issues
they
want
him
to
tackle.
Here
is
what
they
had
to
say.
Health
coverage
Keep
Americans
Covered
is
calling
on
RFK
Jr.
to
make
health
coverage
tax
credits
a
top
priority.
The
organization
is
a
coalition
representing
patients,
consumers,
doctors,
hospitals,
insurers
and
employers.
Congress
has
until
the
end
of
the
year
to
extend
the
enhanced
premium
tax
credits
introduced
in
2021,
which
lowered
health
insurance
premiums
for
millions
of
people
purchasing
coverage
on
the
marketplace.
Advocating
for
an
extension
of
these
credits
should
be
at
the
top
of
RFK
Jr.’s
to-do
list,
as
“millions
of
Americans
will
see
their
health
coverage
become
unaffordable,”
and
up
to
5
million
people
could
lose
coverage
if
the
credits
expire,
according
to
Keep
Americans
Covered.
Another
healthcare
advocacy
organization
hopes
RFK
Jr.
will
support
Medicare
Advantage.
“Two
years
of
Medicare
Advantage
cuts
have
hurt
seniors,
resulting
in
plan
closures,
higher
costs,
and
fewer
benefits,”
said
Mary
Beth
Donahue,
president
and
CEO
of
the
Better
Medicare
Alliance,
in
a
statement.
“Our
seniors
need
stability
in
their
health
care,
and
corrective
action
cannot
wait.
Secretary
Kennedy
and
this
administration
can
keep
President
Trump’s
promise
to
protect
Medicare
for
seniors
by
supporting
Medicare
Advantage
with
adequate
funding
and
a
stable
regulatory
approach.”
Drug
costs
An
issue
top
of
mind
for
many
healthcare
leaders
is
rising
drug
costs.
Patient
advocacy
organization
Patients
for
Affordable
Drugs
hopes
to
see
RFK
Jr.
crack
down
on
Big
Pharma.
“Secretary
Kennedy
has
a
critical
opportunity
–
and
responsibility
–
to
build
on
existing
measures
to
rein
in
Big
Pharma’s
price-gouging
and
lower
drug
costs
for
patients,”
said
Merith
Basey,
executive
director
of
the
organization,
in
a
statement.
“We
are
ready
to
work
with
him
to
ensure
Medicare
drug
price
negotiations
continue,
out-of-pocket
costs
are
reduced,
and
competition
in
the
marketplace
is
increased
through
reforms
to
end
abusive
pharmaceutical
monopolies
that
harm
patients.”
The
Pharmaceutical
Care
Management
Association
(PCMA),
which
represents
pharmacy
benefit
managers,
wants
RFK
Jr.
to
address
“the
prices
set
by
drug
companies
and
misuse
of
the
patent
system
that
blocks
market-based
competition
for
more
affordable
alternatives
like
generics
and
biosimilars,”
said
JC
Scott,
president
and
CEO
of
PCMA.
However,
it’s
worth
noting
that
PBMs
have
also
come
under
fire
for
their
role
in
prescription
drug
prices.
Food
and
nutrition
RFK
Jr.
has
previously
expressed
an
interest
in
tackling
food
quality
in
the
U.S.,
and
one
healthcare
executive
hopes
he
follows
through
on
that
while
also
taking
a
larger
approach.
“Recognizing
the
high
level
of
carcinogens
and
preservatives
in
foods
filling
our
grocery
stores
is
a
step
in
the
right
direction
and
the
first
of
many
necessary
changes
that
need
to
be
made.
However,
that
is
not
the
only
course
of
action
—
we
still
need
to
address
the
lack
of
accessibility
to
clinical
nutrition
care,”
said
Vanessa
Rissetto,
CEO
and
co-founder
of
nutrition
startup
Culina
Health.
“Millions
of
Americans
live
with
diet-related
diseases,
and
yet
only
0.2%
of
the
U.S.
population
has
seen
a
dietitian.”
The
role
of
sleep
in
chronic
disease
As
RFK
Jr.
addresses
the
chronic
disease
epidemic,
Laurent
Martinot,
co-founder
and
CEO
at
Sunrise,
would
like
to
see
him
recognize
the
role
of
sleep
in
preventing
and
managing
diseases.
The
company
offers
at-home
diagnosis
and
treatment
for
sleep
conditions.
Health
issues
like
diabetes,
heart
disease
and
mental
health
have
long
been
associated
with
poor
sleep.
Martinot
also
wants
RFK
Jr.
to
tackle
the
overprescription
of
sleep
medications
in
the
U.S.
“Too
many
Americans
depend
on
these
medications,
but
the
healthcare
system
should
prioritize
identifying
and
addressing
the
root
causes
of
sleep
issues
rather
than
just
masking
the
problem
with
drugs,”
Martinot
said
in
an
email.
Photo:
Bulat
Silvia,
Getty
Images
Kathryn
