The media was outraged that Trump nominated an outspoken anti-vaccine activist to head the nation’s most prominent health care agency. Nonpartisan medical experts also expressed concern about Kennedy’s views on vaccines, unpasteurized milk, the use of fluoride to prevent tooth decay, and his comments on cooking oils and food safety more generally.

Certainly, many of Kennedy’s views run counter to accepted science on health care and food safety. On the other hand, his views on obesity, food additives and foods with sugar must be taken seriously by the public. He deserves a fair hearing before the senators who will vote on his nomination.

Meanwhile, stock markets were wrong to jump to the conclusion that confirming Kennedy as HHS secretary would hurt the health care industry. Alone, Kennedy would not be able to approve or disapprove new drug applications. Medical experts make these decisions. Science and not uninformed bias drives the drug and vaccine approval process. The Secretary of HHS enforces laws. They do not legislate on drug prices, drug and vaccine approvals, and healthcare more generally. Kennedy would be an administrator, not a health care czar.

Following Kennedy’s nomination, stocks in the biotech and pharmaceutical sectors experienced selling pressure. Traders sold on the news and did not consider the real possibility that Kennedy’s nomination would not be approved by the Senate. Also, as mentioned, Kennedy would not be able to stop the development and approval of new life-saving drugs, including vaccines.

With the integration of artificial intelligence in the healthcare industry, the medical world stands at the door of revolutionary healthcare treatments. More cancers will be defeated with vaccines. Bullet-like radiation and chemical treatments will also be deployed to defeat cancer. Science will also use messenger RNA technology to design healthcare treatments that are tailored to the individual.

The bottom line: The outlook for the healthcare industry is very positive. It is especially important as the United States faces the challenges of an aging population. The sell-off in the healthcare sector represents a buying opportunity regardless of the outcome of Kennedy’s nomination.

Kennedy is wrong about vaccines. Operation Warp Speed, a crowning achievement of the first Trump administration, saved hundreds of millions of lives around the world and allowed the US economy and schools to reopen. The Covid-19 vaccines were a product of pioneering drug development and capitalism. Vaccines save lives. They have largely defeated smallpox, polio, mumps and measles.

However, Kennedy is correct that the United States is facing an obesity crisis that is costing the nation hundreds of billions of dollars each year. The public should hear what he has to say about food additives, including food coloring. After all, many food colorings used in the United States are banned in Western Europe.

Let the democratic process work. The Senate should hear Kennedy and determine if his positive views outweigh his unscientific, just plain wrong views.

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James Rogan is a former US foreign service official who later worked in finance and law for 30 years. He writes a daily note in the markets, politics and society. He can be reached at (email protected).