Raw Story

WASHINGTON — Robert F. Kennedy Jr. continued testifying on Capitol Hill Thursday and failed to clean up past comments opposing vaccines.

One Democratic Senator is drawing a stark comparison between Kennedy and Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh.

In the case of Kennedy, the environmental lawyer may have spent decades claiming vaccines cause autism, but when speaking before the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, he was forced to answer questions from actual medical experts.

ALSO READ: RFK Jr. botched his financial reports — omitting $500,000 in anti-vax and law income

“I do believe that autism comes from vaccines,” Kennedy told Fox News in 2023.

Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA), a physician, hammered Kennedy for refusing to believe scientific studies and evidence that don't confirm his beliefs.

“Will you reassure mothers unequivocally and without qualification that the measles and hepatitis B vaccines do not cause autism?” Cassidy asked.

“If the data is there, I will absolutely do that,” RFK Jr. responded.

"I think he was cleaver in answering questions," Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) told Raw Story at the Capitol. "But shame on us if we let these people show up to these hearings and lie to us."

"It's stunning," Murphy continued, "he spent his entire career dedicated to undermining vaccines and he can come in these hearings and say, 'Don't pay attention to my entire career. Don't pay any attention to everything I believe, just listen to what I'm telling you right now.' Shame on us if we wave him through, but that's what they did to Kavanaugh..."

The reference was a back-handed comment to Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME), who voted to confirm Kavanaugh despite her pro-choice pledge.

"There has also been considerable focus on the future of abortion rights based on the concern that Judge Kavanaugh would seek to overturn Roe v. Wade. Protecting this right is important to me," Collins said in a statement in 2018. "To my knowledge, Judge Kavanaugh is the first Supreme Court nominee to express the view that precedent is not merely a practice and tradition, but rooted in Article III of our Constitution itself. He believes that precedent 'is not just a judicial policy … it is constitutionally dictated to pay attention and pay heed to rules of precedent.' In other words, precedent isn’t a goal or an aspiration; it is a constitutional tenet that has to be followed except in the most extraordinary circumstances."

Kavanaugh then voted to eliminate the landmark Roe ruling, which removed reproductive rights from U.S. women.

On Friday morning, MSNBC juxtaposed footage of former President Ronald Reagan somberly addressing the nation after the 1986 Challenger explosion that shocked the nation in 1986 with Donald Trump's finger-pointing press conference to address a commercial plane crash over the Potomac two days ago.

Introduced by "Morning Joe" co-host Jonathan Lemire –– who was highly critical of the president's performance on MSNBC earlier –– the dueling presidential statement clip labeled "How Leaders Address the Nation During Tragedies" demonstrated what they suggested was Trump's startling lack of empathy for the victims and their families as he used it to attempt to score political points.

After Reagan was shown saying, "On behalf of the first lady, myself and 340 million Americans, our hearts are shattered alongside yours, and our prayers are with you now and in the days to come," Trump was shown telling reporters, "We do not know what led to this crash, but we have some very strong opinions and ideas."

ALSO READ: Top GOPer's ‘most immediate’ priority for new committee includes probing a MAGA conspiracy

With Reagan continuing, "I've always had great faith in and respect for our space program, and what happened today does nothing to diminish it," Trump offered up to the country, "The FAA says people with severe disabilities are the most underrepresented segment of the workforce, and they want them in and they want them, they can be air traffic controllers. I don't think so. "

"To the schoolchildren of America, who were watching the live coverage of the shuttle's takeoff, I know it's hard to understand, but sometimes painful things like this happen. It's all part of the process of exploration and discovery," Reagan consoled the country while Trump instead continued to point the finger elsewhere by blaming the tragedy on DEI, former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and President Joe Biden's administration.

After the clip ran, MSNBC's Lemire bluntly stated, "That contrast couldn't be starker."

Watch below or at the link.

- YouTube youtu.be

Among Donald Trump's first actions as president was to fire anyone at the Justice Department that had anything to do with the special counsel's investigations into him. Attorney General Pam Bondi and other government agency heads have also begun the purge of federal employees, and some onlookers believe those left will likely be faced with defending or prosecuting whatever Trump tells them.

The New York Times reported that the group Justice Connection, led by career prosecutor Stacey Young, will provide guidance to those who remain to help those lawyers.

Young, who was forced out last week in the Trump purge, said the group intends to focus on the DOJ for now but hopes to replicate the model for other federal agencies. The goals will be to help the employees with "legal issues, whistle-blowing, leaking to the news media, aiding with digital and physical security and, if they resign, finding jobs in the private sector."

ALSO READ: 'He can't erase it': J6 committee members speak out after final Jack Smith report drops

“The animus coming from the administration is unprecedented and terrifying,” Young said. “Most employees are terrified about the stability of their jobs. They’re worried about being fired or transferred or demoted or demeaned or doxxed. There are far more unanswered questions than answers right now, and the fear and confusion is palpable and may only grow.”

“The president had promised to dismantle the civil service, and they’ve been aggressively pursuing that project in just two weeks,” Young continued. “Right now, DOJ employees are sitting ducks, and many well-meaning people are calling on them to just keep sitting. That’s not going to work. If they’re going to stay, they’re going to need help.”

She said she hopes to raise about $1 million to maintain a staff of about a dozen people, though they may need their own legal or safety budget if Trump begins to see them as a target.

"Justice Connection will fight against the lies by telling the truth — in Congress, online and in the press — about why a safe and just America requires career professionals at DOJ: FBI intelligence analysts, victim advocates, forensic scientists, ATF special agents and civil rights attorneys among them," said Young's prospectus.

Young was shoved out due to her role as president of the Department of Justice Gender Equality Network, likely seen as part of the anti-diversity purge.

Read the full report here.

After less than two weeks in office, Donald Trump has already has his closest advisors trying to stop the bleeding over a series of missteps ranging from confusing executive actions to his highly criticized response to the air tragedy in Washington, D.C.

That is according to a report from the Wall Street Journal which is reporting, "His defiant stand in the face of nationwide confusion and fear left some aides scrambling to fortify the image of a White House that could do no wrong."

The report notes that the returning president is now getting back to the difficulties of governing and, despite having a previous four years in the Oval Office, things are off to a ragged start.

ALSO READ: Top GOPer's ‘most immediate’ priority for new committee includes probing a MAGA conspiracy

"On camera and on Truth Social all week, Trump governed with his usual confidence and bravado. But behind the scenes, there was evidence of frustration and breakdowns in communication in an administration that has moved with lightning speed to try to shake up the government," the Journal is reporting before adding that a controversial budget memo, that crippled government operations, has become a major embarrassment for the new administration.

The "poorly written" memo, as described by an anonymous White House official, "wasn’t run by many top advisers in the West Wing, including deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller, before it was issued, according to people familiar with what happened. "

According to that official, "Memos are supposed to offer guidance, and this was the opposite of guidance.”

Added to that, was the crash of a commercial aircraft with a Blackhawk helicopter, that claimed a combined 70 lives, which led to Trump deciding to offer some "opinions" on what happened as bodies were still being pulled out the water.

"Former U.S. air-safety officials recoiled at Trump’s extremely unusual press conference. Aside from his focus on the FAA’s efforts to diversify its workforce, they said Trump upstaged the National Transportation Safety Board and threatened to undercut its status as the world’s gold standard for investigations by quickly assessing the crash’s cause and assigning blame," the report states.

You can read more at the link.

During her annual OB-GYN visit, Callie Anderson asked about getting off the birth control pill.

“We decided the best option for me was an IUD,” she said, referring to an intrauterine device, a long-acting, reversible type of birth control.

Anderson, 25, of Scranton, Pennsylvania, asked her doctor how much it might cost. At the time, she was working in a U.S. senator’s local office and was covered under her father’s insurance through a plan offered to retired state police.

“She told me that IUDs are almost universally covered under insurance but she would send out the prior authorization anyway,” Anderson said.

She said she heard nothing more and assumed that meant it was covered.

After waiting months for an appointment, Anderson had the insertion procedure last March. She paid $25, her copay for an office visit, and everything went well.

“I was probably in the room itself for less than 10 minutes, including taking clothes on and off,” she said.

Then the bill came.

The Medical Procedure

According to Planned Parenthood, IUDs and implantable birth control represented nearly 25% of its contraceptive services provided from October 2021 to September 2022, per the latest data available.

There are two types of IUDs: copper, which Planned Parenthood says can protect against pregnancy for up to 12 years, and hormonal, which can last from three to eight years depending on the brand. Hormonal IUDs can prevent ovulation, and both types affect the movement of sperm, designed to stop them from reaching an egg.

A physician or other practitioner uses a tube to insert the IUD, passing it through the cervix and releasing it into the uterus.

Doctors often recommend over-the-counter drugs for insertion pain, a concern that prompts some patients to avoid IUDs. Last year, federal health officials recommended doctors discuss pain management with patients beforehand, including options such as lidocaine shots and topical anesthetics.

The Final Bill

$14,658: $117 for a pregnancy test, $9,862 for a Skyla IUD, $4,057 for “clinic service,” plus $622 for the doctor’s services.

The Billing Problem: A ‘Grandfathered’ Plan

Anderson got a rare glimpse of what can happen when insurance doesn’t cover contraception.

The Affordable Care Act requires health plans to offer preventive care, including a variety of contraceptives, without cost to the patient.

But Anderson’s plan doesn’t have to comply with the ACA. That’s because it’s considered a “grandfathered” plan, meaning it existed before March 23, 2010, when President Barack Obama signed the ACA into law, and has not changed substantially since then.

It’s unclear how many Americans have such coverage. In its 2020 Employer Health Benefits survey, KFF estimated that about 14% of covered workers were still on “grandfathered” plans.

Anderson said she didn’t know that the plan was grandfathered — and that it did not cover IUDs — until she contacted her insurer after it denied payment. Her doctor with Geisinger, a nonprofit health system in Pennsylvania, was in-network.

“My understanding was Geisinger would reach out to insurance and if there was an issue, they would tell me,” she said.

Mike McCullen, a Geisinger spokesperson, said in an email to KFF Health News that with most insurance plans, “prior authorization is not required for placing birth control devices, however, some insurers may require prior authorization for the procedure.”

He did not specify whether it is the health system’s policy to seek such authorizations for IUDs, nor did he comment on the amount charged.

The Pennsylvania State Troopers Association, which offers some retirees the plan that covered Anderson, did not respond to requests for comment. Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield, the insurer, referred questions to the state.

Dan Egan, communications director for the state’s Office of Administration, confirmed in an email that the insurance plan is a grandfathered plan “for former Pennsylvania State Troopers Association members who retired prior to January 13, 2018.”

A benefit handbook for the plan identifies it as grandfathered and lists a variety of excluded services. Among them are “contraceptive devices, implants, injections and all related services.”

The $14,658 bill, an amount that typically would be negotiated down by an insurer, was solely Anderson’s responsibility.

“Fourteen thousand dollars is astronomical. I’ve never heard of anything that high” for an IUD, said Danika Severino Wynn, vice president for care and access at the Planned Parenthood Federation of America.

Costs for IUDs vary, depending on the type, where the patient lives, insurance status, the availability of financial assistance, and additional medical factors, Severino Wynn said.

She said most insurers cover the devices, but coverage can vary, too. For instance, some cover only certain types or brands of contraceptives. Generally, an IUD insertion costs $500 to $1,500, she added.

Many providers, including Planned Parenthood, have sliding-scale rates based on income or can set up payment plans for cash-paying or underinsured patients, she said.

According to FAIR Health, a cost estimation tool that uses claims data, an uninsured patient in the Scranton area could expect to be charged $1,183 for an IUD insertion done at an ambulatory surgery center or $4,319 in a hospital outpatient clinic.

The Resolution

Anderson texted and called her insurer and Geisinger multiple times, spending hours on the phone. “I am appalled that no one at Geisinger checked my insurance,” she wrote in one message with staff at her doctor’s office.

She said she felt rebuffed when she asked billing representatives about financial assistance, even after noting the bill was more than 20% of her annual income.

“I wasn’t in therapy at the time, but at the end of this I ended up going to therapy because I was stressed out,” she said. The billing office, she said, “told me that if I didn’t pay in 90 days, it would go to collections, and that was scary to me.”

Eventually, she was put in touch with Geisinger’s financial assistance office, which offered her a self-pay discount knocking $4,211 off the bill. But she still owed more than she could afford, Anderson said.

The final offer? She said a representative told her by phone that if she made one lump payment, Geisinger would give her half off the remaining charges.

She agreed, paying $5,236 in total.

The Takeaway

It’s always best to read your benefit booklet or call your insurer before you undergo a nonemergency medical procedure, to check whether there are any exclusions to coverage. In addition, call and speak with a representative. Ask what you might owe out-of-pocket for the procedure.

While it can be hard to know whether your plan is grandfathered under the ACA, it’s worth checking. Ask your insurance plan, your employer, or the retiree benefits office that offers your coverage. Ask where the plan deviates from ACA rules.

With birth control, “sometimes you have to get really specific and say, ‘I’m looking for this type of IUD,’” Severino Wynn said. “It’s incredibly hard to be an advocate for yourself.”

Most insurance plans offer online calculators or other ways to learn ahead of time what patients will owe.

Be persistent in seeking discounts. Provider charges are almost always higher than what insurers would pay, because they are expected to negotiate lower rates.

Bill of the Month is a crowdsourced investigation by KFF Health News and The Washington Post’s Well+Being that dissects and explains medical bills. Since 2018, this series has helped many patients and readers get their medical bills reduced, and it has been cited in statehouses, at the U.S. Capitol, and at the White House. Do you have a confusing or outrageous medical bill you want to share? Tell us about it!

KFF Health News is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs at KFF—an independent source of health policy research, polling, and journalism. Learn more about KFF.

This article first appeared on KFF Health News and is republished here under a Creative Commons license

President Donald Trump and his administration officials triggered immediate outrage on Thursday after blaming the devastating plane crash in Washington, D.C. on "diversity" programs implemented at the Federal Aviation Administration. The crash, which was caused by a midair collision with an Army helicopter, remains under investigation — but no evidence has emerged to support the theory of diversity programs playing a role.

Indeed, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) furiously pointed out on X that just a few days ago, acting on the advice of tech billionaire Elon Musk, Trump ousted key aviation safety officials from their jobs.

"I represent LaGuardia Airport as well as workers for JFK," wrote Ocasio-Cortez. "Trump gutted the Aviation Safety Committee last week. Air traffic controllers — already understaffed — got Trump’s 'buyout' this week with a 1 week ultimatum to decide."

"It’s not DEI — it’s him. And Elon too," she concluded.

The "buyout" offer, which closely mirrors a mass layoff policy adopted by Musk when he took over the Twitter platform before rebranding it, isn't a buyout in strict terms, but an offer to delay being fired for eight months in return for not having to comply with the Trump administration's new return-to-office policies.

ALSO READ: Top GOPer's ‘most immediate’ priority for new committee includes probing a MAGA conspiracy

The idea that aviation safety standards have been undermined by diversity programs is a conspiracy theory that has been knocking around the far right for years, and in particular exploded into prominence last year MAGA youth activist Charlie Kirk baselessly suggested that Black pilots were being hired in contravention of qualification rules.

At one point, even the Trump campaign itself was worried that Kirk's rantings on the subject would make it harder for them to win over Black voters.