RFK JR. It seems unknown with key elements Medicare and Medicaid

In a busy exchange with Senator Bill Cassida, a Republican from Louisiana, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. He showed a surprising lack of knowledge of Medicare and Medicaid, government programs responsible for covering over 150 million Americans.

Sometimes Mr. Kennedy seemed to be confused by two programs. Medicare is a federal program that provides protection for older and disabled Americans, while Medicaid is a federal program that includes low -income people.

When he first described Medicare, he seemed to ignore half of the Medicare program, which is based on private insurance plans to provide care. He later admitted that he was enrolled in the private Medicare Advantage plan and said that he thought that “more people would prefer to be in Medicare Advantage because he offers very good services.”

Medicare Advantage plans have been strongly criticized by legislators, including by federal regulatory bodies, which Mr. Kennedy would supervise if he is confirmed and by public groups of spokespersons. They accused plans, including plans offered by the largest insurers in the country, about excessive government burden, delaying and refusing access to care. The regulatory authorities punished some insurers for excessive.

Mr. Kennedy described Medicaid as “fully paid by the federal government.” In fact, Medicaid, which provides health insurance Almost 80 million Americans with low income are financed from a combination of state and federal funds.

Mr. Kennedy also claimed that many registration in Medicaid were frustrated with high costs they encounter with public insurance.

“Most people who are in Medicaid are not content,” said Kennedy. “Premium is too high. The deductions are too high. “

He repeated a similar argument later at the trial, standing before the interrogation of Senator Ben Ray Lujan, a democratic Recent Mexico. “Premy is too high, the deductions are too high and everyone is ailing,” he said.

But the expansive majority of registration in Medicaid do not pay any contributions or deductions for their insurance. Federal law especially forbidden Premium for the lowest income registrants in Medicaid. Patients usually do not have to pay anything when they go to the doctor, except a handful of state experiments that tested tiny fees.

Recent research on Medicaid does not confirm Mr. Kennedy’s claims that “everyone is ailing.” Studies generally find This increased Medicaid registration improves the access of people to healthcare. Some studies They also discovered that Medicaid improves health results, although this is a more confined group of research.

Senator Cassidy asked Mr. Kennedy to describe how he would reform the Medicaid program. While other nominated Trump offered specific policy proposals – Russell Vought, nominated to launch the budget and management office, suggested the requirement to work in the program during the interrogation in confirmation last week – Kennedy described unclear changes.

He said he supported the changes in “increasing transparency” and “increasing responsibility”.

When Mr. Cassidy pressed him to make him more detailed, Mr. Kennedy replied: “I have no wide proposal to dismantle the program.”

Mr. Kennedy, however, seemed prepared to ask about Recruitment numbers In the case of Medicaid, he tells senators thoroughly that the program covers about 72 million people under the customary public insurance program and an additional seven million thanks to the targeted benefit, health insurance for children.