Health Affairs December 15, 2025
Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) Robert F. Kennedy Jr. entered the second Trump administration with the bold objective to Make America Healthy Again. The “MAHA” movement has had remarkable political resonance but an inherently misleading message. In many ways, Americans were becoming progressively healthy in the decades, even century, leading up to his tenure, exemplified by dramatic reductions in smoking and infectious disease, safer food and water systems, increased life expectancy, and improved access to evidence-based preventive care.
These advancements were made possible through deliberate medical innovation and policy interventions motivated by public health challenges endured by generations past. Nevertheless, Secretary Kennedy is right to bring a new wave of attention to chronic disease. More than 60 percent...
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