Robert F. Kennedy Jr.: "Insane Stories About The Level Of Theft" In Medicare Fraud, "It's All Stolen"
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2026/09/30/robert_f_kennedy_jr_insane_stories_about_the_level_of_theft_in_medicare_fraud_its_all_stolen.html

HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. discussed excessive spending on skin substitutes and wound care, claiming costs rose from $200 million in 2019 to $14 billion last year and were on track to reach $23 billion. Kennedy was speaking at a fireside chat with Vice President JD Vance at this week's MAHA summit.

SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES ROBERT F. KENNEDY JR.: But there was a problem. These skin substitutes were being-the doctors who prescribed them would get 6% of the sales cost. And so they were incentivized to prescribe more expensive products.

In Europe, they spend 35 cents a cubic inch. We were spending $1.35, and that went up to $2,000 a cubic inch. And we were paying by-so 2019, we were paying $200 million. Last year, we spent $14 billion. All stolen. It's all stolen.

And we were on par, on track to spend $23 billion this year. It was $135 for everybody on Medicaid and Medicare in this country. And we stopped it.

We put an end to it, and we've now driven that down. That cost down to somewhere around $1 billion. And we saved that money, but it was allowed to get out of control.

And you're seeing-I mean, we can tell our stories. You and I can sit here all day long and just tell insane stories about the level of theft.