RFK Jr. struggles to answer tough questions from Democratic lawmakers during Senate confirmation hearings

The news: Lawmakers—primarily Democrats—grilled Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on his previous anti-vaccine comments, his lack of belief in proven medical science, and his recent flop-flopping on certain healthcare issues during two Senate confirmation hearings this week. A vote on Kennedy becoming HHS secretary will likely come next week.

We’ve identified 4 key areas where things got most contentious between senators and Kennedy:

1. The science behind vaccines

Democratic lawmakers repeatedly questioned Kennedy’s anti-vaccine remarks, including stating his belief in the debunked theory linking childhood immunizations to autism, and his 2021 comment that the COVID-19 vaccine was the deadliest vaccine ever made.

Kennedy insisted that he isn’t anti-vaccine and that he wants to ensure decisions on vaccine approval and administration are based on the gold standard of science that includes study replication. When pressed on whether he still holds his prior vaccine beliefs, Kennedy didn’t directly answer but said he needed to see studies.

2. Medicare and Medicaid

Kennedy couldn’t clearly explain the difference between Medicare Parts A, B, and C. He also falsely stated that Medicaid premiums and deductibles are too high. [Note: Medicaid members don’t pay premiums or have deductibles except in rare circumstances.]

3. Distrust of federal health agencies

Kennedy denied comparing the CDC’s childhood vaccine program to Nazi death camps, even after being read a transcript of his decade-old comments. Kennedy clarified that he was comparing the injury rates from those immunizations to “other atrocities.” He also stated that researchers, scientists, and health experts in federal health agencies have conflicts of interest, which don’t allow for “unobstructed science.”

4. Abortion rights

Kennedy’s stance on abortion has changed multiple times. He pledged during the hearing that he would implement President Trump’s policies. He was unable to answer a senator’s question about if federal law protects a pregnant woman with life-threatening bleeding needing an emergency abortion even if her state bans them. He also said that President Trump asked him to study the safety of the abortion pill mifepristone despite it being FDA-approved.

Our take: It’s not a requirement for the HHS secretary to have experience working in the industry. But struggling to answer questions about even the basics of certain divisions and departments that HHS oversees won’t do much to ease the concerns of Americans. That is especially true since many people were already uncomfortable with Kennedy’s constant questioning of proven medical treatments and his unsubstantiated theories on health, medicine, and leaders of public health agencies.

Stay tuned for our analysis of next week’s vote result—and our take on how either outcome will affect healthcare and pharma companies and the customers they serve.

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