HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Brings “Take Back Your Health” Tour to Nashville, Praises Tennessee’s Health Reforms

Editor’s Note by Rep. Mike Sparks (R–Smyrna)

During U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s visit to Nashville, his message rang true — America must “take back its health.” As Tennesseans, we have an opportunity to play a leading role in that mission.
That’s why I’ve introduced House Bill 2086, which would eliminate the state’s 4 percent sales tax on fruits and vegetables. This proposal is a practical step to encourage healthier eating and make nutritious options more affordable for families across our state.

Tennessee has already taken important steps to promote public health, and removing the sales tax on fruits and vegetables is another way we can empower citizens to make better choices without financial burden. Together, we can make Tennessee a model for a healthier, stronger America. Many not realize Tennessee ranks 44-45th in the nation for residents being overweight, obesity and health.

____________________________________________________________________

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. stopped in Nashville Wednesday as a part of his “Take Back Your Health” tour to talk about changes made during President Donald Trump’s first year back in office and future goals of the administration.

“We’re all here today because we’re facing an existential crisis in our country,” Kennedy said. “When I was a little boy and my uncle was president, we had the best healthcare system in the world, and we had the healthiest people in the world — the healthiest children. And today we have the sickest.”

Kennedy discussed increased rates of autism, diabetes and chronic disease in the U.S. and highlighted Tennessee legislation he said is aimed at fixing these issues.

“I want to recognize Tennessee for doing their part to make America healthy again, prohibiting red dye, enacting fluoride transparency, restricting student cell phones and submitting a SNAP waiver to USDA,” he said.

According to Kennedy, 38% of teens in America are prediabetic or diabetic, and one in 31 children has autism. He explained that Trump’s administration has worked to fix issues within the healthcare system and improve quality of care.

Among those improvements, Kennedy cited a reduction in prescription drug prices through tariffs, partnerships with big tech companies to stop information blocking when it comes to health records and cracking down on healthcare systems and hospitals that aren’t transparent about prices.

In addition, Kennedy mentioned that artificial intelligence could be a powerful tool to improve healthcare.

“It will transform medicine in this country with its capacity to diagnose and treat and prescribe disease, but it also helps us attack waste, fraud, and abuse,” Kennedy said. “We’re applying it right now to Medicaid. We’re going to save billions of dollars this year.”

Read the latest from the TN State Capitol Newsroom

His visit comes after Congress passed the Rural Healthcare Transformation Act, which will provide Tennessee with more than $200 million in the first year of funding to improve healthcare in rural areas.

Kennedy answered only a few questions from the media before taking photos with Tennessee lawmakers, including one on his thoughts about states passing their own vaccine-related pieces of legislation. He said he has not restricted access to vaccines and doesn’t plan on it, but he believes in the “freedom of choice,” and supports states that enact their own vaccine rules.