Advocates of local health care, directed by Protect Our Care, voiced opposition towards the President-elect Donald Trump’s selection of Robert Kennedy Jr. to spearhead the federal Department of Health and Human Services. The appeal was directed towards Sen. Shelley Moore Capito and Sen.-elect Jim Justice of West Virginia, urging them to abstain from endorsing Kennedy. This aligns with a larger appeal from health care champions across West Virginia who have banded with numerous physicians and public health specialists nationwide, pleading for the U.S. Senate to veto Trump’s choice of Robert Kennedy Jr. to be at the helm of the federal Health Department.
Barbara Fleischauer, an ex-state representative, collaborated with representatives from the West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy as well as the West Virginia Citizen Action Group. They collectively protested against Kennedy’s endorsement during a Protect our Care press briefing on Friday. This organization operates on a national scale, with a mission devoted towards safeguarding health care access for every resident of America.
Kennedy hails from the esteemed Kennedy family and is the creator of the anti-vaccine society called Children’s Health Defense. His outrageous claims include linking autism to vaccines and naming COVID-19 vaccines as a ‘crime against humanity’. He even went far as to advocate for the elimination of fluoride from America’s water supply, even when expert opinion assures its role in curbing dental decay is both safe and effective.
The Department of Health and Human Services is in charge of the federal government’s Medicaid and Medicare initiatives, as well as the federal health insurance marketplace. Collectively, these platforms cater to the health needs of hundreds of thousands of West Virginians.
Cuts to the federal Medicaid funding are currently being contemplated by Congress. The potential of slashing billions in federal Medicaid funding spells disaster for West Virginia’s budget, potentially leaving it in a deficit of $235 million, and causing tens of thousands of citizens to be uninsured.
The importance of safeguarding Medicaid, Medicare, and the Affordable Care Act was underscored by Rhonda Rogombe, a health policy analyst with the West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy. According to Rogombe, these programs are pivotal as lifelines of health care coverage. Without them, hospitals are burdened with providing unpaid care, thus stretching their capacity. This could potentially cripple one of the largest industries and systems integral to people’s health and the local economy.
Over 15,000 doctors throughout the nation endorsed a letter sent this week to the U.S. Senate, imploring them not to confirm Kennedy’s nomination as health secretary. Even the American Public Health Association’s head has criticized Kennedy’s nomination, stating that our country merits a more befitting candidate.
Mindy Holcomb, a patron advocate for Citizen Action Group, was vociferously against the idea of Kennedy leading the nation’s health care system. Believing that it is crucial to protect Medicaid, she stressed the vulnerability of West Virginia’s population. She pointed out that its residents, especially the immunocompromised ones, would be at a high risk should there be any decrease in immunization rates.
With respect to the Affordable Care Act, Medicare, and Medicaid, she hinted at the detrimental consequences of any cut. Medicaid is essential to West Virginians’ health care. Rural health centers, in particular, would be at a critical risk of decay should these programs be compromised.
Kennedy’s controversial stances were highlighted by his alleged contribution to a measles outbreak in Samoa in 2019 that resulted in 83 fatalities. However, West Virginia’s robust health care policy laws have helped the state prevent similar outbreaks.
West Virginia, with its stringent vaccination mandate for schools, is one of only five states that don’t allow exemptions based on religious or philosophical grounds. In 2020, Governor and Sen.-elect Jim Justice vetoed a bill that sought to relax the state’s vaccination requirements, leaving the decision to private schools.
Healthcare experts have noted that high vaccination rates have been critical in limiting West Virginia to just one reported measles case in the past 15 years. Public health is vulnerable to the spread of misinformation, particularly among the young and older populations.
An earnest plea was made to Sen. Justice and Capito to reject Kennedy’s nomination. Such a move would help protect the wellbeing of West Virginian citizens and ensure the continued effectiveness of the healthcare policies in the state.