Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr has suggested that Americans who eat doughnuts, guzzle sodas or smoke should not be provided with free healthcare. 

‘If you’re smoking three packs of cigarettes a day, should you expect society to pay when you get sick?,’ the leader of the Make America Healthy Again movement said during a CBS interview this week. 

The nation’s top health official noted that it is the American people’s choice to ‘eat doughnuts all day’ and he would not to take it away.

However, he went on to say that doughnut and soda lovers cannot expect ‘society to care for them’ since there is possibility for them to get ‘very sick’. 

Kennedy, a former alcoholic and heroin addict, had previously said that he wants to stop the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), commonly called food stamps, from subsidizing unhealthy foods, like soda. 

He has also repeatedly called soda ‘poison,’ and has been one of the foremost critics of the substance.

In line with his previous stance, Kennedy told CBS News chief medical correspondent Jon LaPook: ‘Should you then expect society to care for you when you predictably get very sick at the same level as somebody who was born with a congenital illness? 

‘The best answer to that is to realign our incentives so that the economic incentives, the individuals and the industry align with the public health outcomes that we desire.’

Kennedy did not explicitly suggest limiting Medicaid or any other health insurance benefits for those smoking, eating doughnuts and sodas. 

However, Joan Alker, executive director and co-founder of the Center for Children and Families at Georgetown University believes that the Health Secretary is being ‘intrusive’ in people’s lives. 

‘Kennedy’s ideas are predicated on the notion of an extraordinarily intrusive government getting into every aspect of your lives. 

‘Where does it stop? Is the government now going to say anybody who drinks any alcohol, since there’s more evidence coming out that that’s a carcinogen, anybody who eats any sugar?,’ she told The Washington Post. 

But not all are opposed to his plans. 

Following Kennedy’s comments, Michael Cannon, director of health policy studies at the libertarian Cato Institute, said that Americans need to take more personal responsibility. 

‘The Constitution doesn’t say anything about health, much less doughnuts and cigarettes. 

‘People should bear the cost of their own unhealthy decisions, not just because it’s wrong to force other people to bear those costs, but because then they’re less likely to make unhealthy decisions,’ he told the publication. 

When asked about the secretary’s statements, the Department of Health and Human Services said told Washington Post that Kennedy was committed to ’empowering individuals with better options and to take control over their health – not shame.’

‘Secretary Kennedy’s comments reflect a broader call for aligning public health outcomes with smart incentives — not for limiting anyone’s access to care,’ the statement said.

But his recent claims may put him at odds with President Trump as the latter is known to enjoy multiple sodas per day, albeit the sugar-free versions.

Shortly after being sworn-in for the second time, President Trump also re-installed a bright red button on his desk in the Oval Office to notify an aide that the commander-in-chief wants a fresh Diet Coke.

The 78-year-old reportedly drinks multiple cans of Diet Coke a day and is known to indulge in an occasional burger and fries for his meals. 

Roughly a third of Americans—about 120 million people—receive health insurance coverage directly through government programs such as Medicare, Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), TRICARE, and VA health care.

Nearly a quarter of of Medicaid enrollees were smokers in 2018, more than double the rate among privately insured adults (10.5 percent).

And obesity rates are notably higher among individuals covered by government healthcare programs like Medicaid and Medicare compared to those with private insurance.

About half of adults enrolled in Medicaid and Medicare are classified as obese. ​ 

Meanwhile just 22 percent of commercially-insured adults are classified as having Class I obesity (BMI 30–34.9), which is the lowest obesity class.