AOC & RFK Jr. on Commercial Health Care Fraud, Left Versus Right, and So On

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez & Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Commercial Health Care Fraud, Left Versus Right, and So On

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Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. reveals his ignorance during a House Energy and Commerce Committee hearing while being questioned by Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez over healthcare fraud by UnitedHealthcare

In a June 2025 House hearing, Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez questioned Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on allegations of fraud at UnitedHealthcare and why his department increased payment rates for Medicare Advantage plans

. The exchange focused on a Medicare Advantage rate increase and a federal investigation into the insurer.

Key points of Ocasio-Cortez’s questioning

Fraud allegations: Ocasio-Cortez cited reports that the Trump administration’s Department of Justice was criminally investigating UnitedHealthcare, the country’s largest health insurer, over potential fraud related to Medicare Advantage. Reports also alleged the company was deliberately endangering patients to maximize profits.

Medicare Advantage payment rates: Ocasio-Cortez noted that in April 2025, Kennedy’s department increased Medicare Advantage payment rates by 5.06% for the 2026 fiscal year. This was more than double the 2.2% increase proposed under the previous administration. She claimed this would give for-profit insurers like UnitedHealthcare an additional $25 billion in taxpayer money.

Contradiction on waste, fraud, and abuse: Ocasio-Cortez highlighted what she saw as a contradiction between Kennedy’s stated commitment to “cleaning up corruption” and the large increase in payments to a company under federal investigation.

Kennedy’s response

Kennedy denied any awareness of the Department of Justice investigation into UnitedHealthcare, which prompted Ocasio-Cortez to point out that he oversees the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).
He later asked for clarification on the rate increase, asking, “How did I do that?”.
He did state that he had divested himself of any financial conflicts of interest related to healthcare companies before entering public service.