Robert F. Kennedy Jr., U.S. President Trump’s nominee to be secretary of Health and Human Services, testifies before a Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., Jan. 30, 2025.
Nathan Howard | Reuters
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, appeared to be unfamiliar with fundamental elements of the Medicare and Medicaid programs during his second Senate confirmation hearing on Thursday.
“You want us to confirm you to be in charge of Medicare, but it appears that you don’t know the basics of this program,” said Democratic Sen. Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire, after Kennedy struggled to answer a series of questions about Medicare before the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions.
If confirmed, Kennedy will lead a $1.7 trillion agency that oversees a slew of federal health agencies. That includes the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, which manages government-funded health care for millions of Americans, including seniors, disabled people and lower-income patients who rely on Medicare, Medicaid, and the Affordable Care Act’s markets.
Kennedy, 71, stumbled when answering questions about Medicare and Medicaid during both of his confirmation hearings this week. He appeared before the Senate Committee on Finance on Wednesday.
Oh Thursday, Hassan, who sits on both panels, asked Kennedy to explain what each part of Medicare is. But he struggled to identify and explain the fundamental aspects of the program, which provides coverage to older and disabled Americans.
When asked what Medicare Part A is for, Kennedy said it is “mainly for primary care or physicians.” Hassan clarified that it is coverage for seniors who receive inpatient care at hospitals.
Kennedy, when asked what Medicare Part B is, said it is “for physicians and doctors.” Part B is coverage for a range of medical services such as doctor visits, outpatient care, home health, certain medical supplies and preventive services.
When asked what Medicare Part C is for, Kennedy called it “the full menu of all the services – A, B, C and D.” Hassan noted that Part C is also known as Medicare Advantage, which are privately run plans contracted by Medicare. Those plans serve as an alternative to traditional Medicare plans.
Kennedy insisted that he “just explained the basics” of the program, but Hassan said she had to correct him on several things.
The New Hampshire senator also grilled Kennedy on his comments during the hearing on Wednesday, when he appeared to confuse Medicare with Medicaid.
That state-federal Medicaid program provides coverage to around 80 million Americans, including many low-income people. Republicans could target Medicaid, which costs the federal government more than $600 billion a year, for funding reductions this year to help pay for tax cuts.
Kennedy on Wednesday described Medicaid as “fully paid for” by the federal government, even though the program is funded by states as well.
On Thursday, Kennedy acknowledged that the program is jointly funded by the federal government and states, adding that he “misstated something” during the hearing on Wednesday.
At the end of that Wednesday hearing, Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., the ranking member of the Finance Committee, said Kennedy was “unprepared” and suggested he didn’t seem to know the difference between Medicare and Medicaid.
”My colleagues have been seeing back-and-forth between Medicare and Medicaid, and it’s not clear which program you’re using when,” Wyden said.
