Health & Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Sparks Controversy Following His Plan To Collect Americans’ Health Data For Autism Study

Health & Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Sparks Controversy Following His Plan To Collect Americans’ Health Data For Autism Study

The National Institutes of Health is collecting Americans’ private medical records for an autism study tied to Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s vow to uncover the cause of autism by September. The agency is pulling data from federal and commercial databases and creating a new autism registry, CBS News reports.

“If you just ask me, as a scientist, is it possible to get the answer that quickly? I don’t see any possible way,” said Dr. Peter Marks on “Face the Nation.”

NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya told advisers the goal is to offer researchers “comprehensive” records spanning a “broad range” of Americans.

“The idea of the platform is that the existing data resources are often fragmented and difficult to obtain.”

The study will link pharmacy, lab, genomic, insurance, and wearable tech data.

“What we’re proposing is a transformative real-world data initiative,” Bhattacharya said, calling it “an evolving process” with “real-time health monitoring” potential.