By Rep. Mike Sparks (R–Smyrna)
Editor’s Note: Tennessee ranks 44th nationally in overall health outcomes, with approximately 36-38% of adults obese—placing the state among the worst in the nation. The state also faces elevated rates of type 2 diabetes (13-14% of adults), heart disease, premature death, and cancer, particularly lung cancer. These interconnected health challenges reflect socioeconomic factors, lifestyle patterns, and healthcare access issues. Against this backdrop, House Bill 2086 proposes eliminating the state’s 4% sales tax on fruits and vegetables as a practical policy intervention to make healthier food choices more financially accessible to Tennessee families. The legislation, introduced following HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.‘s Nashville visit emphasizing the need to “take back America’s health,” represents an opportunity for Tennessee to address its public health crisis through economic incentives that reduce barriers to nutritious eating.
____________________________________________________________________
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.
Secretary Kennedy is leading the way with his Make America Healthy Again initiatives including inverting the food pyramid and promoting real food. Removing the grocery tax from fruits and vegetables would certainly line up with the MAHA movement and is something that we certainly should entertain as a General Assembly,” Dr. Bryan Terry, Chairman of Tennessee House Health Committee.
Leave feedback about this