For decades, Americans have been told that the only path to better health is through more government mandates—rules that dictate everything from the medicines we take to the coverage we carry. Look where that’s gotten us.
Despite massive federal involvement in healthcare, the U.S. still lags behind other developed nations in key health metrics. Americans suffer lower life expectancies, higher hospital admission rates for chronic diseases, and worse outcomes for heart attack and stroke.
We can—and must—do better. The Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement offers a new vision: one rooted in freedom, choice, and access to information grounded in Gold Standard Science.
Under President Trump’s leadership, MAHA has already delivered reforms that prioritize families and empower individuals. Just this month, the Trump administration unveiled a groundbreaking update to America’s outdated dietary guidelines. Instead of mandates, these new guidelines embrace the philosophy of “food as medicine,” arming Americans with the knowledge to make healthier choices for themselves.
By challenging stale orthodoxy and asking hard questions, this administration has reminded us that scientific progress requires intellectual courage. And that same courage is needed to correct the course of our broken healthcare system.
Let’s begin with a fundamental truth: sick care is not health care. For too long, our system has focused on intervention only after people are seriously ill—often at the most expensive and least effective stage.
Making America Healthy Again means prioritizing prevention and upstream care. And when illness does strike, patients should have the freedom to choose treatments that heal, not just maintain. A healthcare system built around billing codes and maintenance plans isn’t compassionate—it’s complacent.
Nowhere is this complacency more dangerous than in kidney disease. Over 37 million Americans suffer from chronic kidney disease—many unknowingly—until they are near dialysis or transplant.
President Trump took bold action in 2019, issuing a historic executive order to transform kidney care and improve patient outcomes. Unfortunately, that momentum was halted by the Biden administration, which reverted to a centralized, bureaucratic approach.
Through CMS, the Biden administration implemented the End-Stage Renal Disease Prospective Payment System—a bundled payment model that rolled nearly every dialysis-related product and service into a single fixed payment. While pitched as “efficient,” the result was predictable: perverse incentives that led to fewer treatment options and worse outcomes for patients.
Washington often overlooks a simple truth: keeping patients healthy is the most cost-effective path. Rationing care and squeezing providers may balance a short-term budget, but it drives up long-term costs—and human suffering.
President Trump understood this. His executive order aimed to prevent, slow, and treat kidney disease while unleashing innovation in kidney medicine. It’s time for HHS and CMS to carry that vision forward.
That means building payment models that expand access—not restrict it. Patients deserve the full spectrum of treatments to survive and thrive.
Despite massive federal involvement in healthcare, the U.S. still lags behind other developed nations in key health metrics. Americans suffer lower life expectancies, higher hospital admission rates for chronic diseases, and worse outcomes for heart attack and stroke.
We can—and must—do better. The Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement offers a new vision: one rooted in freedom, choice, and access to information grounded in Gold Standard Science.
Under President Trump’s leadership, MAHA has already delivered reforms that prioritize families and empower individuals. Just this month, the Trump administration unveiled a groundbreaking update to America’s outdated dietary guidelines. Instead of mandates, these new guidelines embrace the philosophy of “food as medicine,” arming Americans with the knowledge to make healthier choices for themselves.
By challenging stale orthodoxy and asking hard questions, this administration has reminded us that scientific progress requires intellectual courage. And that same courage is needed to correct the course of our broken healthcare system.
Let’s begin with a fundamental truth: sick care is not health care. For too long, our system has focused on intervention only after people are seriously ill—often at the most expensive and least effective stage.
Making America Healthy Again means prioritizing prevention and upstream care. And when illness does strike, patients should have the freedom to choose treatments that heal, not just maintain. A healthcare system built around billing codes and maintenance plans isn’t compassionate—it’s complacent.
Nowhere is this complacency more dangerous than in kidney disease. Over 37 million Americans suffer from chronic kidney disease—many unknowingly—until they are near dialysis or transplant.
President Trump took bold action in 2019, issuing a historic executive order to transform kidney care and improve patient outcomes. Unfortunately, that momentum was halted by the Biden administration, which reverted to a centralized, bureaucratic approach.
Through CMS, the Biden administration implemented the End-Stage Renal Disease Prospective Payment System—a bundled payment model that rolled nearly every dialysis-related product and service into a single fixed payment. While pitched as “efficient,” the result was predictable: perverse incentives that led to fewer treatment options and worse outcomes for patients.
Washington often overlooks a simple truth: keeping patients healthy is the most cost-effective path. Rationing care and squeezing providers may balance a short-term budget, but it drives up long-term costs—and human suffering.
President Trump understood this. His executive order aimed to prevent, slow, and treat kidney disease while unleashing innovation in kidney medicine. It’s time for HHS and CMS to carry that vision forward.
That means building payment models that expand access—not restrict it. Patients deserve the full spectrum of treatments to survive and thrive.
The choice before us is clear: double down on top-down mandates, or embrace a system built on freedom, choice, and better health.
For those who believe in empowering Americans to live longer, healthier lives—the choice is obvious.
Steve Cortes is president of the League of American Workers and advisor to Catholic Vote. He directs political campaigns on media, polling, and Hispanic outreach, including Trump 2016/2020 and Vance 2022 US Senate. He is a former broadcaster for Fox News and CNN.
