Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr said Monday he is “reviewing” whether to remove all members of an influential advisory committee that offers guidance about preventive health services.
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force is composed of medical experts who serve four-year terms on a volunteer basis. They are appointed by the HHS secretary and are supposed to be shielded from political influence.
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The task force reviews reams of scientific evidence to make recommendations on services such as cancer screenings, HIV prevention medications and more. It makes its recommendations using a grading scale, and ObamaCare requires insurers to cover services the task force recommends with a “grade” of A or B at no cost to patients.
The Wall Street Journal first reported late last month that Kennedy was considering firing the panelists because they were too “woke.”
During a press conference about the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Kennedy did not deny that removing the members of the task force was under consideration.
“The task force has done very little over the past five years, and we want to make sure it is performing, and it is approving interventions that are actually going to prevent the health decline of the American public. And it hasn’t,” he said. “We’re looking at the personnel and we’re making the decision now, but no decision has been made.”
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Kennedy’s office abruptly postponed the July meeting of the task force, alarming some Democrats and public health leaders.
The discussion on removing the entire task force comes on the heels of a Supreme Court decision in June originally focused on a recommendation to cover certain HIV-prevention drugs.
The ruling asserted Kennedy has power to hire and dismiss panelists at will, as well as to potentially delay or veto the recommendations they issue — something no prior administration has done.
