Summaries of well being coverage protection from main information organizations
HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. advised lawmakers on Capitol Hill on Wednesday, “Now we have suggested each baby to get the MMR [vaccine]. That’s what we do.” It’s a assertion he personally has not made. Plus, The New York Occasions explains the tightrope Kennedy is strolling.
The New York Times:
RFK Jr. Says His Department Advises All Children To Get Measles Vaccine
Over 4 days and almost 20 hours of testimony, underneath harsh questioning from Democrats, Well being Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has repeatedly backed away from his longstanding criticism of the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine. On Wednesday, he made his strongest assertion but — albeit on behalf of his division and never himself. “We promote the M.M.R.,” Mr. Kennedy advised the Senate Finance Committee on Wednesday morning, referring to the mixed vaccine for measles, mumps and rubella. “Now we have suggested each baby to get the M.M.R. That’s what we do.” (Homosexual Stolberg, 4/22)
CIDRAP:
In Hearings, RFK Jr Claims No Responsibility For Measles Spread
At the moment Well being and Human Companies (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. appeared earlier than two Senate committees and distanced himself from record-breaking measles outbreaks in the US, regardless of his position as overseeing the Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention (CDC), one of many many businesses within the HHS umbrella. His testimony capped off a busy week on Capitol Hill, the place he made seven appearances. (Soucheray, 4/22)
The Hill:
Bill Cassidy Challenges Robert F. Kennedy’s Vaccine Statements
Sen. Invoice Cassidy (R-La.) fact-checked Well being Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. a number of instances Wednesday about his insistence that vaccines haven’t helped enhance mortality. Kennedy cited two research throughout his testimony within the Senate well being committee to show that deaths because of among the commonest infectious ailments fell dramatically throughout the twentieth century lengthy earlier than vaccines had been extensively used. In a single occasion, Kennedy cited a December 2000 paper printed within the journal Pediatrics by a Johns Hopkins researcher that concluded that vaccinations alone don’t account “for spectacular declines in mortality seen within the first half of the century.” (Weixel, 4/22)
The New York Times:
RFK Jr. Defends Trump’s Mathematically Impossible Drug Discount Claims
Well being Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. defended President Trump’s frequent incorrect calculations of percentages when speaking about reductions on prescription drug costs, arguing on Wednesday that the president “has a unique manner of calculating.” “When you’ve got a $600 drug, and also you scale back it to $10, that’s a 600 p.c discount,” Mr. Kennedy stated throughout a congressional listening to. Mr. Kennedy is mathematically incorrect. A value discount from $600 to $10 can be a reduction of greater than 98 p.c. A value low cost can’t be greater than one hundred pc, as a result of that will decrease the worth to zero — or counsel that the corporate was supplying you with cash for purchasing the product. (Cameron, 4/22)
Politico:
Bill Cassidy’s Still Attacking RFK Jr. Now It’s About Abortion.
Invoice Cassidy, the foremost Republican critic of Well being Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. within the Senate, is broadening his assault. Cassidy, who’s referred to as out Kennedy repeatedly for Kennedy’s efforts to sow doubt concerning the significance of vaccination, attacked him Wednesday for not doing sufficient to cease individuals from taking abortion capsules. (Levien, 4/22)
CNBC:
RFK Jr. Says He Would Support A Potential Ban On Junk Food TV Ads
Well being and Human Companies Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Wednesday stated he would help a possible ban on junk meals TV ads within the U.S. – an effort that will possible draw fierce backlash from main meals producers. (Constantino, 4/22)
The New York Times:
Combative, Defensive And Occasionally Contrite, Kennedy Walks A Fine Line
He was combative, defensive and infrequently contrite. He vehemently denied, then halfheartedly apologized for suggesting in 2024 that Black kids would profit from being “re-parented.” He shouted at Democratic senators, accusing them of “grandstanding” and “selective indignation.” He insisted he had delivered “historic wins” for the well being of the American individuals. In the long run, after 4 days of testimony throughout seven separate congressional hearings on President Trump’s funds, Well being Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. walked a superb line, making an attempt to please each his base and the White Home on the identical time. (Homosexual Stolberg and Jewett, 4/22)
