RFK Jr. fumbles under questioning from swing vote Sen. Bill Cassidy

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. didn’t have clear answers to questions that Sen. Bill Cassidy, a potential swing vote, posed during the Health and Human Services secretary nominee’s confirmation hearing on Wednesday. 

Mr. Cassidy, Louisiana Republican, wanted to know about Mr. Kennedy’s views on reforming Medicaid, given that the GOP is looking for savings in the government-run health insurance program to help pay for President Trump’s other policy priorities.

Mr. Kennedy said he didn’t have specific proposals for Medicaid changes, but he acknowledged the program isn’t working for much of the low-income population it targets. 

“Most people on Medicaid are not happy,” he said. “The premiums are too high, the deductibles are too high, the networks are narrow. The best doctors will not accept it.”

Mr. Cassidy pressed Mr. Kennedy on what Medicaid reforms he would recommend to improve services while making the program more cost-efficient. 

“There are many things that we can do,” Mr. Kennedy said, without naming specifics. “The ultimate outcome, I think, is to increase transparency, to increase accountability and to transition to a value-based system.”

Mr. Cassidy tried again to pull ideas out of Mr. Kennedy, who continued with vague answers about “many options with telemedicine, with AI” and working with direct primary care systems. The nominee also referenced Mr. Trump’s proposals to leverage cooperatives and health savings accounts but didn’t offer details. 

“I don’t have a proposal for dismantling the program,” Mr. Kennedy said. “I think what we need to do is we need to experiment with pilot programs in each state. We need to keep our eye on the ultimate goal, which is value-based care.”

Mr. Cassidy also asked Mr. Kennedy about how he would handle people dually eligible for Medicaid and Medicare. The nominee said he would seek to consolidate or integrate the programs but wasn’t “exactly sure” how.

“It is difficult to integrate them, because Medicare is under fee for service, is paid for by employer taxes,” he said. “Medicaid is fully paid for by the federal government, and it’s not fee for service.”

“I look forward to exploring options with you,” Mr. Kennedy assured Mr. Cassidy.