RFK Jr. fires leaders of group that sets guidelines for preventive health screenings

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration has fired two leaders of an influential health group that determined when insurance should provide free preventive care. mammograms and colonoscopies for millions of Americans.

In letters dated May 11, Surgeon General Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced that he would immediately terminate the duties of the two doctors who chair the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force before their multi-year terms end.

The Department of Health and Human Services largely sidelined the task force last year, indefinitely postponing planned public hearings and thus leaving behind some long-awaited updates. cervical cancer screenings and other matters in uncertainty.

The panel, first created in the 1980s, consists of experts who reviewed the latest evidence behind a wide range of disease prevention tools, such as depression screenings and the use of statins to prevent heart attacks. The panel updates the guidelines with letter grades that demonstrate the power of science. Under the Affordable Care Act, most insurance plans are required to cover preventive services rated “A” or “B” without requiring a co-pay.

Kennedy’s letters do not explain why he dismissed Dr. John Wong and Esa Davis from the panel. He wrote that their “leadership, contributions, and expertise” furthered the task force’s work “to improve the health of Americans” and encouraged them to reapply. He said he was reviewing task force assignments “to ensure clarity, continuity, and confidence” in HHS oversight.

The letters were first reported by The New York Times. An HHS spokeswoman did not respond to questions about why the duo were fired.

Kennedy told MPs last month that he was reforming the task force and that it would meet more frequently and “for the first time have transparency”, calling it “nonsense”. The panel holds public hearings, opens draft guidance for public comment before finalizing it, and publishes the scientific evidence behind them.

Some health advocates worried that Kennedy was preparing to replace the expert panel with less experienced political appointees, as he did with the critical vaccine advisory committee. Former task force chairman Dr. Over the past year, the working group has not been allowed to release the latest update to the cervical cancer screening guidelines or take steps to update recommendations on maternal depression, Michael Silverstein said.

“This is a level of government interference in scientific processes that I have not experienced in my 10 years on the task force,” he said.

Aaron Carroll of the nonpartisan healthy policy group AcademyHealth said the panel normally staggers conditions so health secretaries can regularly appoint new members and make their mark without upsetting the task force.

—-

The Associated Press receives support from the Health and Science Department, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. AP is solely responsible for all content.