In testimony to the Senate Finance Committee, Mr. Kennedy seemed to confuse the two government programs that cover more than 150 million Americans.

In Senate confirmation hearings, he botched the facts about Medicare and Medicaid, two programs he'd oversee as HHS secretary.

Sen. Bill Cassidy, MD, (R, Louisiana) holds a key vote on Robert F. Kennedy Jr's HHS Secretary confirmation. When Cassidy asked for a strategy on Medicare and Medicaid, Kennedy could not provide one.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was asked by Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-Louisiana) about Medicare and Medicaid during Kennedy's Senate confirmation hearing Wednesday. See their full exchange.

Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana quietly conducted a revealing cross-examination of Kennedy on Wednesday, ahead of the hearing on Thursday that he will lead. He could be a key vote to watch.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. struggled to answer questions about Medicare and Medicaid, programs that affect tens of millions of Americans.

"My staff has confirmed reports that Medicaid portals are down in all 50 states following last night's federal funding freeze ," the senator from Oregon said on the social media platform X on Tuesday. "This is a blatant attempt to rip away health insurance from millions of Americans overnight and will get people killed."

Kennedy Jr. came under bruising scrutiny in the first of two U.S. Senate confirmation hearings to possibly put him in charge of Donald Trump’s Department of Health and Human Services. The hearing did not go well.

On January 20, a new administration began addressing our nation’s pressing problems, including health care costs. Drug costs are unaffordable for many, especially those in small communities with limited access to medical care.