The key to making America healthy again could be making it look more like Sweden.
Borrowing ideas from a nation with a robust welfare state and universal healthcare may not sound like Republican orthodoxy, but that’s exactly the direction some insiders within Robert F Kennedy Jr.’s Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement appear to be leaning.
At a health policy summit in Texas last week, one of the movement’s more outspoken figures argued that real reform means going far beyond what Secretary Kennedy and his team have so far proposed.
Dr Aseem Malhotra, a British cardiologist, laid out a provocative blueprint for overhauling America’s health by tackling the ‘social determinants’ that drive chronic disease: housing, education, wages, and food access.
He pointed to Scandinavian countries, where policies addressing these factors are thought to have contributed to significantly lower rates of obesity and diabetes, and markedly higher life expectancy.
‘Raising the minimum wage,’ Dr Malhotra said, would lift incomes for millions of food service and retail workers across the poorest 21 states — money they could use to buy healthier food and access healthcare.
Dr Malhotra also floated the idea of tuition-free college and trade school, as seen in Sweden and Norway. Higher education, he noted, is strongly associated with better-paying jobs and reduced risk of chronic illnesses such as diabetes and heart disease.
He also called for more aggressive policies on ultraprocessed food like is seen in Scandinavian countries such as high taxes and restrictions on sales in hospitals and schools.
Dr Aseem Malhotra (right) is pictured with health secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr
Dr Malhotra suggests implementing some policies popular in Scandinavian countries like Sweden and Norway (stock image)
While he welcomed MAHA’s push to ban harmful food dyes, calling it a ‘good first step,’ Dr Malhotra argued the real gains would come from adopting what he described as ‘Scandinavian-style’ policies — ones that prioritize fair wages, quality housing, and access to real food.
In Sweden, the obesity and diabetes rates are half those in the US. Life expectancy hovers around 83 in Sweden and Norway, compared to just 77 in the US.
Finland and Sweden also rank in the top five happiest countries, while the US has fallen to its lowest-ever position of 24th place.
And nearly half of the US population has high blood pressure compared to 27 percent in Sweden, a risk factor for heart attacks. Dr Malhotra suggests this could be due to the stress and pressure of American life.
Dr Malhotra acknowledged these changes would require sweeping action— new taxes, wage hikes, and political will that go beyond Kennedy’s remit as health secretary.
But he claimed he is already in ‘active discussions’ with senior MAHA officials about how to drive a more aggressive agenda.
‘We need to look at: are we at least providing the bare minimum? Are everyone’s basic needs being met?’ he asked.
‘If we really want to make America healthy again, we need to take a look at these issues.’
Dr Malhotra was quick to reject claims that his agenda amounts to socialism.
‘I’m not here to preach to you about socialism or communism,’ he said.
‘I’m giving you some cold, hard facts here. When you have a very big gap between the rich and the poor, psychologically you have a less cohesive trust in society.’
Still, critics have seized on apparent contradictions.
Kennedy has slashed 20,000 jobs from the Department of Health and Human Services and suggested supporting plans to eliminate Medicaid, which covers more than 72 million Americans who are among the most vulnerable and sick.
Larry Levitt, executive vice president for health policy at health information nonprofit Kaiser Family Foundation, said: ‘The layoffs at HHS, cuts to Medicaid and reduction in research could all end up resulting in less healthy Americans.
‘They’re talking about getting at the root causes of chronic disease. Less research and protections will undermine that goal.’
DailyMail.com has reached out to HHS for comment.
RFK Jr (middle) is pictured here with Dr Jay Bhattacharya (left), the head of the National Institutes of Health, and FDA Commissioner Dr Marty Makary
RFK Jr, pictured here, has already made steps toward eliminating ultraprocessed foods, such as stripping artificial additives from the food supply
Dr Malhotra insists that low wages are one of the most powerful drivers of chronic illness in America.
The federal minimum wage—unchanged since 2009—sits at $7.25 an hour in 21 states.
That equates to just over $15,000 a year, barely above the poverty line for a single person.
Sweden doesn’t set a legal minimum wage. Instead, 90 percent of wages are determined through collective bargaining agreements between unions and employers.
Studies suggest this system leads to more equitable pay and, crucially, better health outcomes.
A University of Washington study found that ‘higher minimum wages were associated with a reduced likelihood of experiencing unmet medical need among low-skilled workers.’
Dr. Malhotra was unequivocal: ‘We need to make sure there’s a fair income for everyone. We need to ensure there is a minimum wage that allows people to be able to lead a healthy life.’
He conceded that President Trump’s stance on minimum wage remains unclear.
Last year, Trump described the current rate as ‘a very low number’ and said he would ‘consider’ raising it without offering specifics.
Housing is another battleground. In Sweden, roughly 20 percent of housing is government-subsidized. In the US, it’s closer to one percent.
Good quality housing is essential for health, Dr Malhotra said. Without it, people are more vulnerable to exposure to toxins like lead and mold.
Skyrocketing rents also squeeze budgets, making it harder to afford healthy food or medications.
Researchers at SmartAsset calculated the salary needed to live comfortably in America’s 25 largest metro areas
When it comes to health, education is power.
Dr Malhotra argued that making ‘a college degree attainable for every American’ would translate to better long-term health outcomes.
Though details remain vague, he suggested steps such as expanding financial aid, capping tuition, and scaling up income-driven repayment plans.
In the US, college costs between $20,000 and $60,000 per year. Around a third of students take on loans, many of which take decades to repay.
A 2023 study in the Journal of American College Health found that student debt correlates with higher rates of depression, anxiety, and even dental problems. Many borrowers also postpone or forgo medical care.
Meanwhile, college tuition is typically free for EU citizens in Sweden, Finland, and Norway.
Dr Malhotra knows there is little political momentum for such radical change, but he remains undeterred.
‘Some kind of government intervention needs to happen,’ he said. ‘Most of what determines health is our social systems.’
One area where Kennedy has made progress already is with food.
The HHS boss has announced plans to phase out the use of eight artificial dyes, including Red 40, by the end of 2026.
Dyes like Red 40 and Yellow 5 have been linked to hyperactivity in some children with and without ADHD.
However, Dr Malhotra believes stripping away individual additives ‘will only have a very small effect’ on chronic disease risk. ‘It needs to be ultraprocessed foods entirely,’ he added.
His solution? Treat ultraprocessed food like tobacco.
Dr Malhotra proposes implementing taxes on ultraprocessed foods like candy, similar to what the US did with tobacco
In the 1950s, over half of American men smoked. Today, that number is just 11 percent, thanks in large part to aggressive public health campaigns, taxes, and advertising bans.
Dr Malhotra sees parallels with food. A study published last week estimated that 120,000 premature deaths each year may be linked to diets high in ultraprocessed foods—laden with saturated fat, sugar, and chemical additives.
‘Ultraprocessed foods are the new tobacco,’ he said. ‘The big win would be going for ultraprocessed foods entirely.’
Such foods make up over 70 percent of the US food supply. Dr Malhotra believes state-level taxes could set the stage for broader federal reform.
He also claims there is momentum inside key agencies.
‘There is finally this great acceptance that we need to do something,’ he said.
Whether Congress will act remains to be seen. But Dr Malhotra believes a bold, Scandinavian-style reset of US health policy could ripple beyond American borders.
‘It’s not about socialism or capitalism. It’s about democracy,’ he said. ‘Let’s look at other countries and see what they did. Whatever the US does, the rest of the world will follow suit.
‘We are here to be the pillars of the most democratically evolved nation in the world.’
This article was originally published by a www.dailymail.co.uk . Read the Original article here. .