RFK Jr. Doesn't Sound Like A Guy Who Understands The Programs He'd Manage

In Senate confirmation hearings, he botched the facts about Medicare and Medicaid, two programs he'd oversee as HHS secretary.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s views on vaccines were the central issue in his confirmation hearings Wednesday, and rightly so. As secretary of Health and Human Services, Kennedy would have myriad ways to undermine the availability of vaccines and public perception of their safety.

But traditionally one of the the most important jobs of an HHS secretary is oversight of government health insurance programs, especially Medicare and Medicaid. Together, those two programs pay medical bills for about one-third of the U.S. population and, alongside Social Security, they represent some of the largest claims on the federal budget.

Kennedy was asked questions about these programs too. His answers were halting, vague and in some instances flat-out incorrect.

That could mean he was nervous and misspeaking. It could also mean he does not understand the vital programs over which he would preside.

Ironically, some of the errors came in an answer to a senator who seemed inclined to go easy on Kennedy. It was Louisiana Republican Bill Cassidy, a physician who has already made clear he thinks Kennedy is “wrong” on vaccines.