1. United States
2. Ill.
3. Letter

I’m writing to express serious concern regarding the recent announcement that Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. intends to use Medicare and Medicaid data to investigate the “root causes” of autism and other chronic conditions. As a constituent, I urge you to exercise oversight over this initiative and to ensure that federal health policy remains grounded in sound science, ethics, and respect for disabled individuals. Mr. Kennedy has a long record of promoting discredited and dangerous theories linking vaccines to autism. Now, under his federal authority, he is launching a sweeping data analysis project that appears aimed at reviving those narratives under the guise of scientific inquiry. Autism is not a disease to be rooted out — it is a lifelong neurodevelopmental disability that affects millions of Americans who deserve dignity, not stigma. The use of Medicare and Medicaid claims data in this context is both scientifically flawed and ethically fraught. These datasets are not appropriate tools for investigating developmental origins or causes, and privacy concerns about their use are paramount. Experts in the field — including academic researchers and public health leaders — have raised doubts about the initiative’s validity and potential for harm. I ask you to: Demand transparency from the Department of Health and Human Services regarding the scope, goals, methodology, and oversight of this data project. Call for hearings to evaluate the scientific credibility and ethical implications of this initiative. Protect the rights and dignity of autistic people by ensuring that no federal resources are used to promote pseudoscience, stigma, or eugenic narratives. Autistic people and their families need access to services, support, and inclusion — not a renewed push for causation theories that have already been thoroughly debunked and used to justify harmful policies. Please stand up for evidence-based research and the civil rights of all disabled Americans.