Thursday morning, the Senate voted to confirm Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as Secretary of US Health and Human Services.
CAFP will work with our national partner, AAFP, to find opportunities for alignment with the new Secretary, including around the importance of primary care, promoting healthy foods and exercise, and truth in advertising. Through education and advocacy, we remain focused on empowering family physicians to shift the new Secretary’s demonstrated anti-vaccine positions and ill-informed positions on a number of important public health issues.
The decisions and actions of the Secretary will directly impact the health care of the 60 percent of Californians who receive health care through the Medicare, Medi-Cal and Covered California programs. The care provided by family physicians and the health of all Californians will be impacted by decisions made by the Secretary.
CAFP will remain laser focused and continue to advocate and fight for policies that support public health, vaccine access, reproductive health services, autonomy of the physician-patient relationship and access to health care for all Californians.
The Secretary has a vitally important position in the nation’s health care system. The Secretary oversees 11 federal agencies including the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Centers for Disease Control (CDC), National Institutes of Health (NIH) and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), which administers the Medicaid and Medicare programs. The Secretary is also responsible for advising the president on health and social services issues, is responsible for preparing the nation for public health emergencies, and has the power to influence government vaccine recommendations, research and payment. The Secretary can utilize government resources to promote evidence-based health care information or spread misinformation and dismantle public health infrastructure.
With nearly 11,000 members, we know that not all our members will agree on every issue. However, CAFP is guided by principles and policies, not politics. CAFP policy is developed by our members and determined by CAFP Delegates and the CAFP Board, made up largely of local elected members. While we may not agree on all policies, we remain steadfast in our commitment to engage with one another in collaborative and constructive dialogue with policy based on data and informed decision making. We have far more that unites us as family physicians and we will find unity around principles fundamental to family medicine, including the autonomy of the physician-patient relationship, evidence-based medicine and protecting public health.
CAFP is the only organization that is exclusively dedicated to the interests of family physicians and CAFP is your organization as California family physicians! We welcome feedback, input, and engagement from all our members as we continue our work. Contact CAFP at cafp@familydocs.org.
Alex McDonald, MD, FAAFP
CAFP President
