Various health sector advocates, steered by the entity Protect Our Care, recently aired their opposition towards the nomination of Robert Kennedy Jr., designated by the President-elect Donald Trump to helm the federal Department of Health and Human Services. They implored West Virginia’s senator Shelley Moore Capito and senator-elect Jim Justice to withhold confirmation for Kennedy. In this significant move, advocates for health care within West Virginia bolstered the nationwide appeal of several physicians and public health specialists, soliciting the U.S. Senate to decline Trump’s appointment of Kennedy as the director of the federal health department.
Ex-legislative member of the state, Barbara Fleischauer, united with members of the West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy and West Virginia Citizen Action Group to voice their collective defiance to Kennedy’s affirmation. This public stance occurred during a media gathering hosted by Protect Our Care, a nationwide non-profit organization, dedicated to safeguarding comprehensive health care for all United States citizens.
Kennedy, a scion of the influential Kennedy family and pioneer of the Children’s Health Defense?an organization opposing vaccinations, has professed certain contentious standpoints. These include the discredited assertion that vaccinations can lead to autism and the egregious labeling of COVID-19 vaccines as a ‘crime against humanity’. He has also advocated for the removal of fluoride from the country’s potable water, a move contrary to expert opinions affirming its safety and efficacy in mitigating dental issues.
Serving an administratory role, the Department of Health and Human Services presides over the federal government’s Medicaid and Medicare programs, along with the federal health insurance market. Together, these initiatives facilitate health care services for hundreds of thousands of West Virginians. Concurrently, Congress is contemplating proposals that might diminish the federal backing for Medicaid.
Advocates, such as Maselli, have voiced strong opposition to these potential reductions, forecasting significant financial implications. Cutting federal Medicaid funding by billions could result in a $235 million budget deficit for West Virginia and leave a substantial number of residents without health insurance.
Rhonda Rogombe, an expert in health policy at the West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy, emphasized the necessity to uphold Medicaid, Medicare, and the Affordable Care Act. She highlighted how they serve as vital resources in providing health care coverage choices.
Rogombe further emphasized that without the aforementioned programs, hospitals would be burdened with delivering uncompensated care. Such a situation would introduce significant strain on our health care system, one of our major industries, and compromise its role in maintaining public health and promoting local economic growth.
On a national scale, over 15,000 doctors endorsed an open letter this week, requesting the U.S Senate to decline Kennedy’s nomination as Health Secretary, as per an NBC News report. The American Public Health Association’s lead has also expressed disapproval of Kennedy’s nomination, stating that the nation is deserving of a better choice.
Mindy Holcomb, an advocate representative of Citizen Action Group, opined during a Friday statement that Kennedy is an unsuitable candidate for managing the country’s health system. She insisted that one of their group’s legislative goals is the protection of Medicaid.
Holcomb noted the prevalent health issues in West Virginia, with numerous individuals having suppressed immune systems. The importance of maintaining high vaccination rates is critical here, with potential decreases posing a serious risk. Discussing Medicaid, Affordable Care Act, and Medicare, she expressed grave concerns, as these programs are crucial for the health care needs of West Virginian residents. Reduction or complete elimination of these programs could have a catastrophic effect on rural health centers.
The controversy surrounding Kennedy further intensifies with allegations blaming him for a measles outbreak in Samoa in 2019 that resulted in 83 casualties. Kennedy had visited the island before the outbreak, reportedly engaging with activists who encouraged locals to opt out of the measles vaccine in favor of alternative treatments.
Holcomb lauded the existing health care policies in West Virginia, crediting them for the state’s exemplary track record in preventing similar disease outbreaks. West Virginia finds itself among five states that do not permit religious or philosophical exemptions from mandated school vaccination programs.
In hindsight, governor and now senator-elect Jim Justice vetoed a bill last year that aimed to relax the state’s rigid school vaccination policies. This bill would have permitted private educational institutions to develop their independent regulations. Healthcare professionals endorse these stringent vaccination regimes, attributing them to West Virginia’s significantly low rate of measles?only one reported case in the last decade and a half.
The peril of misinformation is an issue Holcomb doesn’t take lightly, especially considering the impacts it has on vulnerable populations. Her final appeal was for both Senator Justice and Capito to reject Kennedy’s nomination, a stand echoed by many health care advocates.