Were Americans really healthier when John F. Kennedy was president?

WBUR

Published June 11, 2025 at 11:47 AM EDT

Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. often harkens back to when his uncle was president as a healthier time for Americans. Life expectancy researchers fact-checked that claim.

NPR’s Selena Simmons-Duffin reports.

This article was originally published on WBUR.org.

More from Delaware Public Media

NPR Headlines

Sri Lanka court convicts 15 over deadly 2019 Easter bombings

The Associated Press

The Islamic State group-inspired attacks were among the deadliest in Sri Lanka's history, killing 42 foreigners.
NPR Headlines

CNN, MS NOW and Politico sue Trump. And, Paramount settles in massive merger lawsuit

Brittney Melton

CNN, MS NOW and Politico have sued Trump after the networks were suspended from the White House. And, Paramount makes concessions to resolve a lawsuit over its massive Warner Bros. Discovery merger.
NPR Headlines

Houthis try to push deeper into western Yemen, upending life, witnesses tell NPR

Aya Batrawy

As the U.S. conflict with Iran drags, the Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen have opened a new front, taking new territory and displacing more than 100,000 people.