What RFK Jr. Means for Public Health
- MedSpeak
- Jul 8
- 3 min read
Updated: Jul 23
An incoming presidential administration brings new changes, policies, and officials. One of the newest officials to the second Trump administration is Robert F. Kennedy (RFK) Jr. Trump has kept RFK Jr. as the US Secretary of Health and Human Services. His controversial ideas and actions have made him a polarizing figure in the medical world, and his appointment into a government healthcare position will have many effects on people throughout America.
Why is RFK so controversial?
Most people know RFK Jr. for simply being part of the Kennedy family, but he has an extensive background in politics as well as some polarizing, oft misleading health opinions. Perhaps his most famous controversy was his statement on Fox News back in 2023 that he believed vaccines caused autism. This sentiment likely originated in 1998 from a UK doctor’s study correlating the two, but the study was actually later deleted for its misleading claims.
Doctors fear this sentiment may spread as RFK is elected as a senior public health official in the federal government. But his controversies have gone far beyond one misleading claim: recently, Kennedy advocated for the removal of fluoride from American drinking water, touting that the mineral caused many disorders within the American people. These claims actually had some legitimacy, as the Environmental Protection Agency(EPA) was recommended by a Californian judge in 2024 to go over fluoride’s use in drinking water. However, RFK did blow the potential effects completely out of proportion, which again cited outrage within the medical community.
Lastly, Kennedy’s potentially most controversial claim was his statement during the COVID-19 pandemic that the virus was somehow targeted to attack specifically white and black people, and specifically not Chinese and Jewish people. This was by far his most racially insensitive claim on medicine, and it made many wonder if he was truly fit for a government office as a result.
But leaving his controversies in the past behind, what does Kennedy bring for the future of public health in America?
What will happen now that Kennedy is in power?
Americans can expect many new changes to the healthcare system now that RFK is a part of the federal government.
Cutting down government size
Trump has made a huge effort through his campaign and his first few months of office to reduce the size of the federal government. RFK Jr. will likely bring these same changes to many of America’s health agencies such as the Federal Drug Administration(FDA), National Institutes of Health(NIH), and the Centers for Disease Control(CDC).
Changing the ease to receive vaccines
While a total ban is unfeasible and Kennedy has promised it will not occur, he is still a vaccine skeptic and is likely to make it slightly harder to receive some vaccines.
Restricting ultra-processed food
Perhaps RFK’s most popular idea is that ultra-processed food often found in supermarkets should not be as heavily marketed. He will likely implement changes to nutrient labelling and campaign for companies to use less or no additives and preservatives in food. In addition, he has fixated on milk as a beverage that should be sold raw instead of the ultra-pasteurized version we regularly see in our trips to grocery stores.
Most importantly, Kennedy has regularly promoted the idea of less company/corporate ties into food processing and creation. This hints to a more natural way of raising crops and processing food done by a farmer.
What has he done so far?
Right now, the main headline of RFK’s tenure is the measles outbreak in Texas. Measles, or rubella. RFK’s response to the outbreak has been middling at best, writing that the vaccine was necessary to avoid the disease. However, he has not stated that Texans should immediately receive the vaccine.
However, what made the situation more controversial was the fact that RFK did actually recommend something to combat measles: he told Texans to take Vitamin A and cod liver oil. While Vitamin A can be useful against measles when a patient doesn’t have enough of it, it is essentially useless in the US since most people receive proper nutrients.
Outlook
It seems wherever RFK goes, a trail of controversy and debate follows, especially in the medical world. Obviously, most, if not all of these policies are just predictions of what RFK is likely to do in his time as Secretary of Health and Human Services. In this new presidential term, Kennedy’s promises for sweeping healthcare reform have proved to be polarizing. It is unknown what we will be facing the next four years, but medicine and public health are all but guaranteed to change.
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