Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is on the verge of being confirmed as the next secretary of the U.S. Health and Human Services Department, an appointment that is opposed by supporters of medical vaccines, given Kennedy’s previous opposition to vaccines.
In his role as HHS secretary, Kennedy would oversee an apparatus that includes the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC.)
The CDC’s duties include the management of the response to infectious disease, which could signal a turn in the country’s approach to vaccine development, as Kennedy has said he would deprioritize infectious disease research to focus more on chronic disease prevention.
“He could have a significant impact … through the CDC and FDA,” said Nick Hut, a senior editor with the Healthcare Financial Management Association. “He could alter the approval process and protocols for pushing a vaccine through from the research and development stage,” Hut said.
Kennedy could influence the management of getting a vaccine into the market, making it available to the public, and overseeing the quantity and type of information being put out about vaccines.
Kennedy also has targeted Medicaid for reforms to try to curb spending in the federal-state jointly managed program.
