On February 13, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. became the 18th Trump nominee to be confirmed by the Senate. Kennedy’s confirmation as Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) was largely along party lines, with Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and all Democrats voting against the nomination.
It remains to be seen how exactly Kennedy will shape Medicare and Medicaid, vaccine policy, and science information sharing, but his platform should become clearer as agency heads are confirmed. Healthcare stakeholders are now preparing for sweeping changes to health agencies that have been promised by the Secretary and President. Read more here.
Confirmation hearings for Mehmet Oz, M.D., nominee for Administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, are expected to be scheduled soon, but questions about his stock investments remain. Oz’s background as a daytime television host and frequent endorser of health-related products will almost certainly be a focus of questions posed by Senators, despite recent pledges to sell off certain stocks if confirmed. Read more here.