RFK Jr outlines expansive vision for collecting US health data at Maha event

Key Points:

• Robert F. Kennedy Jr., US Department of Health and Human Services secretary and vaccine skeptic, proposed a comprehensive plan to connect and share US health data—including medical visits and lifestyle information—with government and independent researchers using AI to explore links between vaccines and health outcomes like autism and mortality.
• Kennedy emphasized integrating data from agencies like the FDA, CDC, and CMS, highlighting Medicaid and Medicare as valuable resources for large-scale health studies, while criticizing state-level data systems as fragmented and insufficient for real-time analysis.
• AI is being used to rapidly analyze vast health datasets, enabling faster research on vaccine safety and other health factors; Kennedy cited ongoing studies comparing vaccinated and unvaccinated populations and investigating vaccine components and timing.
• Kennedy criticized past restrictions on independent researchers accessing Vaccine Safety Datalink (VSD) data, advocating for broader access to health data for qualified researchers to enhance transparency and scientific inquiry.
• The event was hosted by the Maha Institute, led by anti-vaccine activist Mark Gorton, who has publicly spread vaccine misinformation; the institute supports open health data access to advance its agenda, with close ties to Kennedy and funding from related foundations.