RFK Jr. Channels Millions from Public Health to Private Wellness Under MAGA Banner

I've recently found two essential resources that have helped me understand what, exactly, is going on with HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy's takeover of public health: (1) episode 259 of the Conspirituality podcast, MAHA is Project 2025's Trojan Horse , and (2) Conspirituality podcast co-host Derek Beres' accompanying article, MAHA's Goal Is Not Health: Robert Kennedy's Movement Promises More Privatization , which was recently published by the Accountability Journalism Institute.

Both resources explain some of the motivations behind the dismantling of our public health systems, through connecting the dots between RFK, Jr.'s vision of health, some of the main players in his orbit, and the financial interests of everyone involved. RFK, Jr. has cut over 800 million dollars from public health research and wants to move those interests from the public good to the private market of functional health diagnostic labs and alternative medicine companies. And, wouldn't you know it, the people he's appointed to various positions in our public health institutions run diagnostic testing companies and/or wellness and supplement companies, and thus stand to do very well , financially, when RFK, Jr.'s vision of is realized.

RFK, Jr. views the future of medicine and health through the lens of "functional medicine," which Derek Beres describes as a "pseudoscience category of alternative medicine that claims to be searching for the 'root cause' of disease." Further, Science-Based Medicine explains that functional medicine, which has largely been debunked as a pseudoscience and a massive grift , relies heavily on its practitioners ordering "reams of useless lab tests" and then trying "to correct every abnormal level without considering (or even knowing) what these abnormalities mean, if anything." The bottom line? Functional medicine practitioners "make up fake diagnoses and profit."

It's no surprise, then, that Kennedy's inner circle consists of folks pushing the functional medicine worldview. He's surrounded himself with wellness influencers and has placed prominent members of the for-profit wellness crowd in key positions in our public health system.

For example, Mark Hyman, who runs the functional health company "Function Health," was a participant in the May 2025 meeting that RFK, Jr. held with seven health tech companies. STAT News explains :

Department of Health and Human Services announced that health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.  met with "leaders at the forefront of health technology" who have developed "breakthroughs that are key to our mission to Make America Healthy Again." Many are developing services in line with Kennedy's priorities around preventative care and healthy lifestyles. Six of the seven are backed by the VC firm Andreessen Horowitz.

Hyman, who Derek Beres calls the "don" of functional medicine, currently earns 28 million dollars a year on diagnostic testing subscriptions, supplements, and books. Beres explains that Hyman:

believes most diseases-cancer, autoimmune disease, asthma, depression, autism, ADHD, to name a few-can be attributed to a made-up condition called leaky gut, which is related to intestinal permeability (a real thing) but way leakier (a not real thing).

Hyman is poised to earn even more if the functional-medicine-diagnostic-testing-to-supplements-pipeline is expanded and legitimized as the official approach to public health.

Another health influencer who stands to make big bucks if RFK, Jr.'s vision of health is realized is Calley Means, who was appointed by Trump in March, 2025 as a White House advisor to assist with "Make America Healthy Again" issues. Calley runs a company called "Truemed," which allows consumers to use HSA and FSA money to choose alternative medicine products such as, according to its website , "cold plunges, fitness equipment, gyms and studios, health tech, red light therapy, saunas, sleep aides, supplements" and more. The Truemed website provides this description:

At Truemed, we make proactive healthcare simple, accessible, and affordable. From fitness tools to supplements and more, our platform helps you unlock the potential of your HSA/FSA funds for true health investments. Say goodbye to the sick-care model-say hello to true-healthcare.

And Calley Means' sister, Casey Means, who is Trump's pick to be our next Surgeon General, is a wellness influencer and co-founder of the functional health diagnostics company called " Levels ." Levels sells an app that integrates with "wearables" (think Apple watches and other devices that can monitor heart rate, glucose levels, and more) - like the ones HHS Secretary RFK, Jr. recently said he wants every American to be wearing within the next four years. Levels describes itself:

Levels helps you achieve clarity and control over your health by revealing comprehensive biomarker data and clear guidance toward your goals. With access to blood testing, continuous glucose monitors, and 1-on-1 dietitian support, you can uncover deeper insights into your body. Features like AI-powered food logging, habit tracking, and adaptive insights help translate that data into daily actions that drive measurable improvement.

In his article , Derek Beres includes almost a dozen more wellness influencers who sell supplements or other wellness products and who certainly stand to gain from a health system focused on a diagnostic testing system that focuses on "natural" solutions to health problems. Beres explains:

Supplements have long been an ideal monetization stream for wellness influencers. Since they're basically unregulated and completely untested, they make perfect foils for pharmaceuticals without the burden of all those pesky clinical studies. The influencer economy is powered by charisma and marketing, not science.

The irony of "MAHA" is that it's not making Americans healthy, it's actually destroying our public health system by shifting public money away from public health initiatives and into private, for-profit health markets. Beres ends his piece with this grim summary of the situation:

. . . MAHA is just a MAGA rip-off. Redirecting taxpayer money from public health initiatives and social services to a diagnostics lab and supplements pipeline using a propaganda tagline ("Make America Healthy Again") will support the for-profit wellness crowd that helped elevate Kennedy to his position, making his inner circle even wealthier. And once again, vulnerable populations, already exploited by free market healthcare, will suffer most.

To learn more, I urge you to read Beres' full article here , and listen to Episode of Conspirituality 2 59: MAHA is Project 2025's Trojan Horse here .

Previously:

• MAHA wellness influencers hype raw milk and rotting meat

• Caught using AI to hallucinate sources in a report, White House calls it a formatting issue (video)

• Yikes: Trump 'doesn't know' his own surgeon general pick - but crackpot RFK Jr. says she's 'fantastic' (video)

• Conspirituality: A podcast that dismantles New Age cults, wellness grifters, and conspiracy-mad yogis

• Wellness influencers are convincing people to shove coffee up their butts

• RFK Jr.'s journey from environmental lawyer to anti-vax presidential candidate

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