'Chaos will ensue': Docs fear 'nightmare' HHS future
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“We just have to brace ourselves and steel ourselves against what I think are going to be broad, sweeping generalizations, attacks on science, inflammatory language, and provocative bluster.” — Timothy Holtz, MD, MPH
"I can only imagine chaos will ensue. I can only imagine it will hurt the health of this country." — Paul Offit, MD
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The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is expected to undergo some changes under the Trump administration.[]
Trump’s pick for the head role at the HHS, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has ignited concern among many in public health who say they are worried for the future of the HHS and the health of the American public.
Related: We asked docs what they think about Trump’s pick to head the FDA: 'We’re going in the wrong direction'“I think it would be a disaster," Paul Offit, MD, a pediatrician specializing in infectious diseases at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, tells MDLinx. Many physicians and other healthcare professionals share this sentiment, with few expressing opposing views on the matter.
"[RFK Jr.] has a 20-year record of being virulently anti-vaccine; he's a conspiracy theorist; he's a science denialist," Dr. Offit continues. "If he's head of Health and Human Services, I think he will do everything he can to decrease the availability or the affordability of vaccines for America's children, and I think there'll be an erosion in vaccine rates, and then you'll see the most contagious of the vaccine-preventable diseases come roaring back—specifically, measles.”
"It would be a nightmare to have someone who is a science denialist heading scientific agencies like the FDA, CDC or NIH."
— Paul Offit, MD
A new look for the HHS
RFK Jr. is just one of the controversial appointments President Trump has made. Other nominees include:[]
Marty Makary, MD, is expected to head the FDA.
Heather Flick is anticipated to be Chief of Staff of the HHS.
Television personality Dr. Oz is Trump’s pick for Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) administrator.
David Weldon, MD, has been nominated to be the director of the CDC.
Jay Bhattacharya, MD, PhD, is anticipated to lead the NIH.
Janette Nesheiwat, MD, a former Fox News medical contributor, has been nominated as US Surgeon General.
These positions still require Senate confirmation, but the nominations have drawn some criticism.
“The Trump administration has chosen to hire people who have disdain for those agencies," Dr. Offit says. "RFK Jr. has disdain for Health and Human Services. Marty Makary has disdain for [the] FDA. Jay Bhattacharya has disdain for the National Institutes of Health. Dave Weldon has disdain for [the] CDC. So that's it … let’s just overturn things … that's the zeitgeist. That's the mood of this country. And that's why you're getting these people."
"I can only imagine chaos will ensue. I can only imagine it will hurt the health of this country."
— Paul Offit, MD
An uncertain future
Experts say that the way the future of healthcare in America will play out over the next 4 years remains to be seen, but many say there is cause for concern.
“If we base our speculation and expectation on some of the things that [RFK Jr.] said, I think it gives me great concern and worry,” Timothy Holtz, MD, MPH, professor, Redstone chair, and the director of the Sumner M. Redstone Global Center for Prevention and Wellness at George Washington University, tells MDLinx.
“Starting today, we just have to brace ourselves and steel ourselves against what I think are going to be broad, sweeping generalizations, attacks on science, inflammatory language, and provocative bluster. And I think it's kind of like schoolyard talk," Dr. Holtz says.