Is the American Heart Association Making Us Less Healthy?

About a decade ago, a good friend of mine came to me with an idea. His company encouraged grassroots fundraising projects, allowing employees to donate the funds they raised to any organization of their choice. He wanted to organize a large-scale neighborhood poker tournament and asked if BioFIT Medicine would be willing to sponsor the event. Naturally, I wanted to support my friend, so I agreed before I asked who the fundraiser would benefit; he proudly replied: "The American Heart Association.”

I felt an immediate knot in my stomach — and this was ten years ago. I couldn’t think of an organization with a better-sounding name or a more noble public-facing mission. And yet, behind the curtain, I had seen too little that reflected actual progress in heart health or a focus on what would move the clinical needle.

Despite spending trillions of dollars to reduce heart disease, it remains the leading cause of death in the U.S. (link). That first year, I told myself I would support him. In the 2nd year, I felt guilty saying anything due to his enthusiasm. However, when he came asking for sponsorship in his 3rd year, I had to tell him that, in good conscience, I could not raise funding for an organization that is increasingly influenced heavily by Food (link) and Big Pharma (link). Let me explain before you think I’m heartless - no pun intended.

I remind my daughter often: If you want to understand why decisions are made the way they are, follow the money. The healthcare pie totals $1.75 trillion, based on 2024 numbers, and about 8% of this money is being allocated to non-profit health entities like the American Heart Association. Now, the AHA reported 'only' $1.2 billion in revenue this past year (link), which is a small number compared to the overall healthcare budgetary pie. But, I ask, do we want to send our healthcare dollars towards policies aimed at the status quo, keeping us all ill, or reverse course towards policies aimed at the root causes of chronic disease? As a nation, we currently spend 90% of the US healthcare spending dollars for chronic disease (link).

For reference to the kind of money being discussed:

1 million seconds = 11.6 days

1 billion seconds = 11,574 days (~31.7 yrs)
1 trillion seconds = 11,574,074 days (~31,710 yrs)

I am not usually a political person, but I have felt a deep pull and obligation to educate myself and others about what is happening behind the medical policy curtain. There is an opportunity for us all (non-partisan) to get behind these top-down policymakers who are not in the pockets of Food and Pharma. These federal agencies include the NIH, HHS, USDA, EPA, and FDA. This isn't a commentary on the people running them but, more importantly, a truly grassroots effort to push against the largest cartels: Food and Pharma.

This is critical, as we are in a quiet war, not with bullets, but rather over who gets the most significant pieces of the budgetary healthcare pie. Will those dollars go to the status quo or toward policies aimed at the root cause of our poor health as a nation? This entire pie represents our Federal US budget, which is approximately $7 trillion, yet over $1.25 of every $4.00 was allocated to Healthcare in 2024.

So… What Does This Have to Do with the American Heart Association?

Here’s the hard truth.

Non-profit organizations, such as the American Heart Association, may have started with good intentions, but many have become deeply entangled with the industries that profit from chronic illnesses. I am not suggesting all of them do that or they do not put out some solid research and education. Yet, when you follow the money, most depend on corporate sponsorships, pharmaceutical grants, and food industry partnerships that, ironically, undermine their mission. Recently, the AHA opposed the SNAP Reform Bill, which would prohibit the purchase of junk foods, at a Texas Senate committee meeting. Instead, the AHA argued in favor of 'protecting people from severe hunger'. I ask you to watch this video and formulate your own opinion. Interestingly, they later reversed their position.

Ask yourself: Why do you think that happened?

I encourage you to watch this video (link) and consider this for all non-profit health organizations moving forward.

The real change will come from each patient asking their provider not to settle for 'a pill for every ill' as Dr. Mark Hymann would say. We must strive to reverse our chronic disease state as a nation, or the economic state of our country will also worsen. Sadly, I was subtly discouraged as a physician from getting involved in politics and the economics of healthcare. Today, I realize now that these entities cannot be discussed in isolation if real medical change is to take place for our great nation and for all.




(BREAKING NEWS: If you’re ready to witness the rapid acceleration of a true healthcare revolution, this is a must-watch. Click this link and see for yourself it's fresh off the press—hear directly from the key voices driving change and watch it in full. The once-stalled machinery of medical bureaucracy is finally being retooled and revitalized. For the first time in decades, the long-standing imbalance between food, pharma, and true healing is being challenged—and the tide is turning in our favor. However, it will be met with a massive campaign wave by the food and pharmaceutical industries to counter this - so be on the lookout for tactics like skepticism, fear-mongering, or my personal favorite (I am kidding), name-calling and diminishing the credentials of the heads of each federal department.)

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Be BioFIT- Be Educated, Not Influenced.

Grateful to be your physician guide.

Kevin Hoffarth MD, IFMCP

BioFIT Medicine