As Robert F. Kennedy Jr. steps into leadership at HHS, treatment providers should be paying close attention. The headlines about Kennedy’s views on vaccines and environmental policy have distracted us from the bigger picture surrounding Kennedy’s views on healthcare reform, cost-cutting, and recovery that may have a big impact on behavioral health.

Our Healthcare System Is Failing—And Everyone Knows It

The U.S. spends more than $12,000 per person each year on healthcare, yet our life expectancy (76.4 years) lags far behind peer nations.

We rank last among 11 wealthy nations for healthcare outcomes (Commonwealth Fund).

Only 1 in 10 people with a substance use disorder (SUD) receive treatment.

If RFK Jr. is serious about fixing a broken system, behavioral health could be one of the obvious places to start.

A Push Toward Value-Based Care

Kennedy has criticized the inefficiency and waste in U.S. healthcare. This could accelerate HHS’s shift to value-based care, meaning:

1. Greater focus on outcomes, not volume
2. Reimbursement tied to long-term recovery, not just short-term stabilization
3. Funding for integrated, whole-person care that connects addiction, mental health and physical health.

Treatment providers offering continuing care, family education, and digital recovery tools are well-positioned when Kennedy’s priorities become federal policy with changes coming faster than expected.

"Wellness Farms" as a Strategy?

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s wellness strategy for addressing addiction focuses on creating "wellness farms"—rural, community-based retreats designed to help individuals recover from substance use disorders. These farms would combine nature-based therapy, organic farming, and holistic practices to foster physical, emotional, and social healing.

Kennedy envisions these wellness farms as a way to provide a supportive, therapeutic environment that encourages personal growth and self-reliance, moving away from reliance on medication and traditional treatment models. This approach aims to help individuals reconnect with nature and work in a way that supports long-term recovery and wellness.

Will you know what's ahead?

RFK Jr. just rolled back a long-standing transparency rule, the Richardson Waiver, giving HHS more power to change policies, like Medicaid rules or NIH funding, without public notice or input. For treatment providers, this means changes could happen faster, but with less warning or opportunity to adjust. It’s a clear sign that Kennedy plans to move quickly, and on his own terms.

Expect a focus on the big players

Expect Kennedy to scrutinize pharmaceutical and insurance companies which should signal that treatment providers should be prepared for potential shifts in how care is authorized and paid for.

• Loosening of prior authorization requirements for addiction medications like buprenorphine or naltrexone making it easier and faster for patients to access these treatments.
• Revised reimbursement models that favor bundled payments, episode-of-care pricing, or incentives tied to long-term recovery outcomes rather than service volume.
• Pressure on pharmaceutical companies to increase transparency on pricing and marketing practices related to SUD medications.

While these changes may take time, providers who can show they deliver cost-effective, patient-centered care will likely be favored in a more accountable system. Now’s the time to think through a strategy, track your outcomes, and prepare for a shift from volume to value.

Takeaway

The new administration has left most of us reeling with the pace of change and we should expect that pace will impact behavioral health treatment policy in profound ways.  The transparency afforded to us in the past for advanced notice about policy changes to weigh in on them is now gone. This means that programs cannot afford to be blindsided because they are unprepared to shift strategy to keep pace with the change.

See how Pathroot can help programs improve and track outcomes.  Get in touch ».