By MERILEE DANNEMANN
Triple Spaced Again
© 2026 by Merilee Dannemann
The president’s nominee for Surgeon General of the United States, questioned by a Senate committee, was asked about her views on vaccines and birth control medications. She gave similar responses on both issues. She said both vaccines and contraceptive medications have side effects that may affect some people more than others, and patients or parents should have in-depth conversations with their doctors.
The nominee is Dr. Casey Means. This interview was in late February. As of the date I’m writing this, her nomination is still undecided. Latest reports are that she does not have enough Republican support for confirmation. So many issues are more urgent for the Senate right now that I imagine she will stay in limbo for a while.
It’s common enough, when medical experts are interviewed on television, that they advise people to talk with their doctors. Here’s the problem.
In those conversations, I notice that neither the experts nor the interviewers talk about whether most Americans have “a doctor,” a family doctor, a friendly pediatrician, etc. Leaving aside the questions about vaccines and birth control, Dr. Means’ answers implied she assumed that every person has access to a doctor who will talk with that person at all necessary length about whether he or she, or that person’s children, should take certain pills or receive certain vaccinations.
Recent statistics show about two-thirds of Americans have access to a primary care physician – so one-third don’t, and the statistics don’t tell us how many of those physicians work in a practice where they can spend enough time with each patient to discuss the pros and cons of their treatment recommendations.
Perhaps the first priority of the nation’s surgeon general should be to advocate for increasing the supply of doctors so that all Americans have access to them. Dr. Means is not a practicing physician. She is a Stanford-trained physician who switched career paths to become a wellness author and influencer (whatever that is). She does not have a medical license. She is a supporter of the RFK Jr. Make America Healthy movement.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. himself, Secretary of the Health and Human Services Department, says his mission is to “Make America Healthy Again” starting with reducing the use of highly processed food and improving the quality of food made available to children. That’s a worthy goal except for whether most American parents can afford that healthier food.
Meanwhile, the Trump administration has cut spending for rural hospitals, changed the rules for Medicaid so it will cover fewer people, killed the federal subsidy for premiums under the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare), instituted tariffs so Americans will pay more for almost everything including groceries, opposed clean air standards and started a war that has spiked gasoline prices.
With costs increasing and premiums unaffordable, New Mexicans have been saved by help at the state level including premium assistance through the state’s Health Care Affordability Fund – no help from the federal level.
We passed the Healthy Universal School Meals law in 2023; after prior laws assured that children in school would have breakfast and lunch every school day, this law added quality standards including fresh vegetables and fruit. This year the legislature added several incentives (including reforming the medical malpractice law) to keep and attract doctors to New Mexico.
The so-called federal Make America Healthy Again program looks like not much more than a talking point, demonstrating the policy inconsistency of the Trump administration. Meanwhile, the onus is on us in New Mexico to stick with the policies that will increase our access to health care providers and get the children to eat that broccoli.
Merilee Dannemann’s columns are posted at www.triplespacedagain.com. Comments are invited through the web site.