Latest news with #Pete&BobbyChallenge
Time of India
2 days ago
- Health
- Time of India
'Make Americans fit again': RFK Jr. teams up with Pete Hegseth in an ultimate fitness showdown; launches ‘Pete & Bobby Challenge'
RFK Jr. teams up with Pete Hegseth in an ultimate fitness showdown; launches 'Pete & Bobby Challenge' (Pic credit: X/@HHSGov) Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has rolled out the 'Pete and Bobby Challenge', pairing up with Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth as part of the Trump administration's nationwide 'Make America Healthy Again' campaign. Kennedy and Pete Hegseth squared off in a fitness contest that involved completing 50 pull-ups and 100 pushups in under five minutes at the Pentagon. The challenge was unveiled through a video first shared with Fox News Digital. The initiative is aimed at encouraging Americans to swap 'fat' for 'fit.' 'I teamed up with @SecDef Hegseth for the 'Pete & Bobby Challenge' — 50 pull-ups, 100 push-ups. This is the start of a nationwide push to get Americans fit again,' Kennedy wrote on X. The contest saw both leaders push their limits, with Hegseth finishing just over the five-minute mark, emerging as the winner in the challenge. Secretary Kennedy also invited Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy to take part in the next round of the challenge. Pete Hegseth in a post on X thanked President Donald Trump for his efforts to make Americans fit again. "President Trump set the example by putting forth efforts to make America healthy again. That's why we are introducing the Pete and Bobby challenge. 100 push-ups. 50 pull-ups. 10 minutes." The effort tied into the broader health push by the Trump administration. Kennedy advocated for whole foods over processed meals, while Hegseth linked the campaign to ensuring the US military remained among the fittest and best-prepared forces in the world. At the youth level, President Donald Trump reinstated the Presidential Fitness Test and the President's Council on Sports, Fitness and Nutrition, which had been retired under former President Barack Obama in favor of the Presidential Youth Fitness Program. By executive order signed in July, Trump directed the council to launch school-based programs that reward excellence in physical education and to design a Presidential Fitness Award.
Politico
2 days ago
- Health
- Politico
NIH plans heat up animal testing debate
WASHINGTON WATCH NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya elaborated on his strategic priorities for the National Institutes of Health on Friday — and drew criticism from some animal rights advocates. His strategy focuses on plans Bhattacharya and his boss, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., have previously touted, like prioritizing nutrition research, advancing artificial intelligence, focusing on research reproducibility and shifting to solutions-based health disparities research. 'Taxpayer dollars are a finite resource, entrusted to NIH officials to invest in the nation's future,' Bhattacharya wrote in a statement published on NIH's website. 'By transparently establishing priorities and aligning our goals, we aim to demonstrate to the American public that we take this commitment seriously — and that we are doing all we can to honor their trust.' Falling short: But one priority area — moving away from animal testing in favor of alternative models and establishing an office to develop, validate and deploy those methods — was a sore point for animal rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. From PETA's vantage point, Bhattacharya's plan didn't go far enough. 'Dramatic change is essential, as we've seen how 'enhancing oversight' is a laugh-into-your-sleeve exercise, and 'considering non-animal methods' is a check box,' Kathy Guillermo, PETA's senior vice president of laboratory investigations, said in a statement. 'PETA urges him to remember that at the highest levels of the Trump administration, there are well-placed people rooting for NIH to break with career animal experimenters.' Animal testing state of play: In Congress, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) has been a persistent critic of animal testing at the health agencies and co-sponsored 2022 legislation with Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) to permit drugmakers to use alternative methods to test their products. The health agencies have not shied away from the issue or from animal rights groups. Among the first policies that the NIH and the Food and Drug Administration announced this spring was a move away from animal testing for research and drug development. According to public calendar disclosures, FDA Commissioner Marty Makary met with PETA in July. WELCOME TO FUTURE PULSE This is where we explore the ideas and innovators shaping health care. The Pete & Bobby Challenge. HHS Sec. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Defense Sec. Pete Hegseth are challenging Americans to complete 50 pull-ups and 100 push-ups in under 10 minutes. Share any thoughts, news, tips and feedback with Carmen Paun at cpaun@ Ruth Reader at rreader@ or Erin Schumaker at eschumaker@ Want to share a tip securely? Message us on Signal: CarmenP.82, RuthReader.02 or ErinSchumaker.01. EXAM ROOM Health insurance companies pay vastly different prices for health services from one another— even when they're performed at the same hospital. Aetna and UnitedHealthcare, two of the largest health insurers in the U.S., negotiated rates for six inpatient procedures that varied by an average ratio of 9.1 nationwide, according to a report by health data analytics firm Trilliant Health. Sticker shock: The median rate for a coronary bypass — with no catheterization or major complications — is $68,194. However, negotiated rates ranged from $27,683 to $247,902. Rates even varied within the same health system. For example, Aetna pays $166,288 for a patient with diabetes to have major heart bypass surgery using a minimally invasive technique at Jefferson Hospital in Philadelphia, while UnitedHealthcare pays about half that rate. The report also found no correlation between aggregate measures of cost and quality within a sample of 10 top-tier hospitals. Health systems that have similar quality in care might have wildly different negotiated rates for the same health services, according to the report. High-quality care? The data raises questions about whether insurers deliver the best value for patient care. 'It actually creates a fiduciary duty for the employers to be using this sort of information to make sure they're providing high-value health benefits to their employees,' said Allison Oakes, chief research officer at Trilliant Health, who worked on the report. She believes that this data could help reduce some price disparity. 'The hope is we start to see some of this variation in prices shrink, which, without changing quality or access, could actually reduce spending by quite a bit,' she said. Unintended effect: Ben Handel, professor of economics at the University of California, Berkeley, agrees that this kind of price transparency could lead to negotiated rates homogenizing. However, it might not necessarily bring down prices, he said. 'The other potential scenario is it raises prices,' he said. He notes that insurers' incentives vary by context. For example, when administrating a self-insured plan — where employers directly pay health costs and insurers provide only the network — they earn a percentage of each claim. 'Raising costs makes you more money,' said Handel.
