The Victors

Bloomberg) -- A nonprofit group with ties to US Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. solicited payment from companies in exchange for access to top agency officials at an upcoming event, according to documents viewed by Bloomberg News.

Ahead of the MAHA Summit on Sept. 29, a menu of sponsorship options was circulated to companies and consultants with various tiers of support, according to people familiar with the solicitations who weren’t authorized to speak publicly. The highest level, quoted at $300,000 to some prospective sponsors, guaranteed a speaking slot at the event “with meaningful input on the panel composition and topic” as well as a “private dinner for 30 guests” with Kennedy and Mehmet Oz, head of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

The organization running the event is part of a web of interconnected groups that comprise Kennedy’s external political network. It’s unusual for a Cabinet member to maintain an active political operation.

Photographer: Al Drago/Bloomberg
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. during the Republican Midterm Convention on Sept. 10.
Lawmakers have raised concerns about fundraising by Kennedy’s allied groups. Federal health officials also frequently appear on Zoom calls with Kennedy’s political supporters. Kennedy has refuted speculation that he plans to run for president in 2028.

HHS spokesperson Emily Hilliard said in a written statement that “department officials listed as speakers were not involved in the planning or sponsorship activities for the MAHA Summit and were not aware of the sponsorship arrangements described.”

Kennedy has long criticized the health agencies he now oversees for being captured by corporate influences they are meant to regulate.

Companies that have signed on to sponsor the MAHA Summit include Anthropic, OpenAI, Walmart Inc., Hims & Hers Health Inc., Centene Corp., Tempus AI Inc. and Compass Pathways Plc, according to the event website. It’s unclear how much each contributed, though the most prominently featured logos are sleep apnea devicemaker ResMed Inc., whose chief medical officer is appearing on a panel with National Institutes of Health Director Jay Bhattacharya, and cancer screening company Grail Inc., whose chief executive officer is speaking in another session.

Grail’s blood-based cancer screening test is facing review by a Food and Drug Administration advisory panel next week. CEO Josh Ofman said in a statement that the company welcomes opportunities to engage with policymakers, patients and advocates. Its participation at the summit “reflects our commitment to improving Americans’ health by creating a healthcare system with greater focus on prediction, prevention and early detection.”

Several panels at the conference feature companies that are regulated by various divisions of HHS. Speakers from the Trump administration include Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, HHS Principal Deputy Chief of Staff Stefanie Spear, HHS senior adviser Calley Means and Bhattacharya. Kennedy isn’t currently on the event agenda, but there is a placeholder for a conversation with “special guests.”

Photographer: Annabelle Gordon/The Washington Post/Bloomberg
Brooke Rollins
One panel on the agenda features psychedelics companies, including Compass Pathways, and is being moderated by HHS Deputy General Counsel Matt Zorn, who plays a leading role in psychedelics policy at the agency.

“Compass Pathways’ participation in the MAHA Summit reflects our commitment to engaging wherever meaningful conversations about mental health reform are happening,” the company said in a statement.

There are two AI panels, with executives from OpenAI and Anthropic. Another session is called “Affordability First” and features executives from health insurers Elevance Health Inc., UnitedHealth Group Inc. and the industry trade group.

“AHIP welcomes opportunities to engage in dialogue about how to reduce the incidence of chronic disease and make healthcare more affordable and accessible for Americans,” the trade group said in a statement.

Other companies and individuals listed as participants or sponsors of the event declined to comment or didn’t return requests for comment.

The summit is being held in Washington by MAHA Center, one of the nonprofit groups with ties to Kennedy. “MAHA” refers to Kennedy’s trademarked slogan, Make America Healthy Again.

Tony Lyons, the president of MAHA Center and a central figure in Kennedy’s orbit, addressed an inquiry about the event’s solicitations for sponsors during a public speech Thursday.

“They said, ‘Oh, you’re taking money from a bunch of different companies, and we’d like to talk about those companies, and doesn’t it feel like you’re you’re being co-opted by these companies?’ And I was thinking, you know, that’s a reasonable question,” Lyons said.

Lyons didn’t answer the question directly but added that he’d like to see similar scrutiny applied to members of Congress.