5 Ways RFK Jr. Could Change Your Healthcare Costs If Appointed by Trump
Written by
Jordan Rosenfeld
Edited by
Molly Sullivan
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President-elect Donald Trump doesn’t take office until Jan. 20, 2025, but he’s already announcing his cabinet picks for key positions (who still have to be approved by the Senate).
His pick to oversee the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has raised some eyebrows by critics who question Kennedy’s lack of relevant experience. Kennedy has also publicly expressed criticisms of public health treatments or protocols such as vaccines, fluoride in the water supply and pasteurization of milk, leaving some to wonder about his likely impact on the healthcare system as a whole.
HHS oversees some key agencies involved in the nation’s public health, including the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).
How might Kennedy’s appointment affect healthcare costs in the U.S.? Experts try to predict.
A Shift Toward Alternative Health
Russel Morgan, attorney and principal at Morgan Legal Group, said that Kennedy’s appointment “could bring a shift in Medicare and the American healthcare system” toward Kennedy’s more “holistic approach emphasizing preventative care” over the more traditional medical model.
Morgan pointed out that while it’s difficult to know exactly what those changes will be, “[Kennedy] has been outspoken about the dangers of seed oils and the role they play in chronic disease, among other food ingredients like dyes, which he believes can cause ongoing health issues.”
Whether this means that Americans could find these kinds of alternative treatments covered by their health insurances or experience changes in healthcare access to traditional medical treatments is yet to be seen.
Changes to Medicare and Medicaid
Kennedy has not been clear or specific about what changes he might make to Medicare (federally-delivered healthcare for those ages 65 and older), Medicaid (state-delivered healthcare to low-income individuals and family) or the Affordable Care Act (ACA), leaving many to wonder how their healthcare benefits could change.
Scott Greer, a professor and political scientist at the University of Michigan, told U.S. News and World Report that Kennedy, in the role of HHS Secretary, “could increase the difficulty of accessing benefits, reducing the regulations on insurers and providers, and using the waiver process to make it easier for red states to roll back ACA provisions in areas such as Medicaid and harder for blue states to expand the ACA.”
A Shift in Estate Planning
If Kennedy were to support significant changes in Medicare, such as reducing federal funding for the program, Morgan said that, “Medicare changes could impact long-term care and asset protection strategies.”
In other words, if Medicare coverage becomes harder to get, more families may rely on Medicaid for long-term care. “Medicaid has strict asset and income requirements.This could require families to set up irrevocable trusts to protect their assets and fall within the eligibility requirements.”
He recommended families plan ahead with strategies that allow flexibility regardless of the healthcare landscape. “As things shift, families may want to consult a professional to determine how it impacts their situation,” Morgan said.
Sweeping Changes to Vaccine Access and Costs
According to Adam V. Russo, Esq., co-founder and chief executive officer of The Phia Group, a healthcare cost containment firm, while neither Kennedy nor Trump has the ability to ban FDA-approved vaccines outright (and neither has said they would), “Kennedy has pledged to take a deeper look into the safety and efficacy of current vaccines with the goal of educating the American public. Accordingly, RFK Jr. may order new studies of current federal health data regarding vaccine safety.”
Furthermore, Russo said, “Kennedy could have the CDC director take apart the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices or rehaul it by filling it with vaccine skeptics.”
In effect, this could severely discredit federal vaccine guidance. This could have two outcomes. One, it could affect the CDC’s Vaccines for Children Program, which provides free vaccines to eligible children whose parents/guardians can’t afford them. Two, he could potentially modify recommendations for which routine vaccines health insurers are required to cover, thus limiting access to vaccines.
Changes in Fluoride Access
Another issue Kennedy has been outspoken about is his concern about fluoride in drinking water. Russo pointed out that the U.S. began fluoridating drinking water in the mid-1940s, and approximately 209 million Americans drink fluoridated tap water, which has been shown to reduce tooth decay in children and reduce tooth loss in adults.
“Kennedy, however, has declared he would immediately advise the removal of fluoride from local water supplies. But it should be noted that the decision to fluoridate water happens at the state and local level, which is why Kennedy could only advocate for fluoride’s removal but not mandate it.”
How Soon Could These Changes Come To Pass?
If Kennedy is approved by the Senate and appointed, Russo said there will be limits to what he has the power to accomplish, as his proposals may not easily pass through Congress. Not to mention, it is not so simple to get the FDA to remove items, like vaccines, from the market without comprehensive steps.
“Meanwhile, other initiatives could lead to expensive and prolonged litigation against the federal government. In other words, it could take months, if not years, for some of the developments to come to fruition,” Russo said.
Any major changes or funding cuts at the NIH, FDA and CDC would require congressional approval because federal employees are protected against arbitrary or politically motivated firings, Russo explained.
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