By Alyssa Hazen, US Policy
The United States’ current health policy has undergone significant changes since President Trump took office. The Trump administration’s approach to health policy is marked by a mix of ambitious reforms and internal contradictions. Central to this dynamic is the tense debate surrounding the administration’s approach to vaccinations, coupled with Trump’s seemingly contradictory mission to Make American Healthy Again (MAHA).
In February, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was confirmed by the Senate to serve as the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. Kennedy, a proponent of anti-vaccination, stirred up controversy upon his nomination by President Trump. He secured the secretarial position in a 52 to 48 vote, despite opposition from the left regarding his support for conspiracy theories on vaccinations and from the right for his expressed support for abortion rights (Simmons-Duffin 2025).
The most significant changes to US health policy taken by Kennedy have been in relation to his perspective on vaccines. In September, Kennedy appointed a federal vaccine committee called the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) (Mandavilli 2025). The panel was hastily put together, with half of the committee members having been directly appointed by Kennedy himself, reflecting an ongoing effort to push through the administration’s vaccination policy. The panel voted unanimously to further limit access to Covid vaccines, recommending that only adults 65 and older receive the shot after discussing health effects with a health care provider (Mandavilli 2025). All other individuals from 6 months to 64 years could freely choose to receive the vaccine after consulting their provider. This restriction follows previous efforts by the Food and Drug Administration to authorize the Covid vaccine only for those 65 and older and those with underlying medical conditions, as well as efforts by Kennedy to remove children and pregnant women from the vaccine schedule in May (Stein 2025).
Kennedy champions these anti-vaccination policies as part of an effort to pursue the Trump administration’s goal to Make America Healthy Again (MAHA). Trump, who once endorsed the Covid vaccine and assumed credit for its development and implementation, has since adopted a new and seemingly contradictory position on vaccines. As part of the administration’s mission to reinstitute health standards, MAHA has sought to address the overmedicalization of children across the US. The administration suggests that children have been subject to over-prescription by medical professionals, which, despite the well intentions of physicians, can demonstrate consequences on a child’s health (White House 2025). This idea has forwarded the administration’s push to limit vaccinations for children, despite the risks that infections may impose. A new study has shown that children and teenagers are twice as likely to develop long Covid after a second infection (Belluck 2025). While it is not guaranteed that the Covid vaccine will make an individual immune to the disease, the study found that immunizations reduced long Covid risk in adolescents, through prevention of severe illness (Belluck 2025). The MAHA goal to limit vaccinations in children may prove to be contradictory to the mission of the movement itself, by putting children at risk of leading unhealthy lives through the restriction of immunizations.
This contradiction is further exemplified by the decision of the ACIP to restrict access to a combination vaccine that prevents measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella, known as MMRV, in children four years and under (Apoorva 2025). The panel additionally voted to not allow a federal vaccine program to cover the costs of the vaccine. While this limitation aligns with the administration’s push to Make America Healthy Again by minimizing what the administration views as “medical overuse” in children by healthcare professionals and curbing “wasteful” spending in healthcare, it inadvertently puts children at risk for contracting diseases. Many public health experts and healthcare professionals fear that changes to the childhood vaccine schedule would lead to a resurgence in diseases that have since been vanquished (Apoorva 2025).
Although there are clear contradictions within the Trump administration, the president has remained committed to combatting the high cost of prescription drugs. In taking steps to achieve the administration’s goal to equalize the cost of prescription drugs between the US and other nations, the president plans to strike up a deal with pharmaceutical corporations. In a deal with Pfizer, a leading pharmaceutical company, the prices charged to state Medicaid programs would be lowered and the company would offer new drugs to the US at prices comparable to those that European countries pay (Robbins and Sanger-Katz 2025). In an effort to aid American families and increase affordability, Trump plans to introduce a website called TrumpRx. The website will allow Americans to purchase prescription drugs directly from manufacturers without the involvement of health insurance (Robbins and Sanger-Katz 2025). Through this program, the administration aims to fulfill its commitment of increasing accessibility and lowering the associated costs of health care for Americans.
The Trump Administration’s healthy policy initiatives reflect a broader commitment to protect the American population, yet display clear contradictions between actions and stated goals. Efforts to limit access to vaccines in the interest of reducing medical overuse have been taken alongside acts to expand the affordability and accessibility of prescription drugs. The contrasting policies reflect the underlying issues and complexities of the administration’s health care agenda, as well as the broader difficulties of achieving effective policy in a politically divided environment.
Alyssa Hazen is a sophomore and political science major from Brooklyn, New York, as well as an Associate U.S Policy Reporter at Happy Medium. She plans on attending law school after graduating from Binghamton and hopes to pursue a career in corporate law. She is most interested in studying the intersection of politics and the environment. In her spare time, she enjoys reading and playing the guitar.
References
Belluck, Pam. 2025. “Long Covid Risk for Children Doubles After a Second Infection, Study Finds.” September 30 https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/30/health/long-covid-children.html — 2nd nyt
Mandavilli, Apoorva. 2025. “Kennedy’s Advisory Panel Votes to Limit M.M.R.V. Vaccine for Children Under 4.” September 18 https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/18/health/kennedy-cdc-vaccine-meeting-hepatitis-covid.html
Mandavilli, Apoorva. 2025. “Kennedy’s Vaccine Panel Votes to Limit Access to Covid Shots.” New York Times. September 19 https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/19/health/cdc-vaccines-mmrv-hepatitis-b.html
Rebecca, Robbins, and Margot Sanger-Katz. 2025. “Trump Announces Deal With Pfizer to Sell Drugs to Medicaid at European Prices.” New York Times. September 30 https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/30/health/trump-pfizer-trumprx-medications.html
Simmons-Duffin, Selena. 2025. “RFK Jr. confirmed as Trump’s health secretary, over Democrats’ loud objections.” NPR. February 13 https://www.npr.org/sections/shots-health-news/2025/02/13/nx-s1-5294591/rfk-jr-trump-health-human-services-hhs-vaccines
Stein, Rob. 2025. “RFK Jr. says COVID shots no longer recommended for kids, pregnant women.” May 27 https://www.npr.org/sections/shots-health-news/2025/05/27/nx-s1-5413179/covid-vaccine-children-pregnant-rfk-cdc#:~:text=%22I%20couldn’t%20be%20more,Kennedy%20Jr. – 2nd npr
The White House. 2025. The MAHA Report: Making Our Children Healthy Again. May https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/MAHA-Report-The-White-House.pdf
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