Robert F. Kennedy Jr. testifies before the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions during his confirmation hearing to be Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, on Thursday, January 30, 2025. Photo: Diego M. Radzinschi/ALM
The American Medical Association is urging the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services not to fire members of an advisory panel that determines what cancer screenings and other preventive health measures insurers must cover.
“The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force plays a critical, nonpartisan role in guiding physicians’ efforts to prevent disease and improve the health of patients by helping to ensure access to evidence-based clinical preventive services,” AMA President John Whyte, M.D., wrote in a Sunday letter to Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. “As such, we urge you to retain the previously appointed members of the USPSTF and commit to the longstanding process of regular meetings to ensure their important work can continue without interruption.”
Task force members meet throughout the year to review evidence and weigh in on various preventive health topics, including if and when people should get screened for certain cancers. The Wall Street Journal reported earlier that Kenney planned to fire all 16 panel members. The AMA expressed “deep concern” about the pending action.
“The USPSTF has long played an essential role in making evidence-based the recommendations for clinical prevention of disease,” the letter said. “USPSTF members have been selected through an open, public nomination process and are nationally recognized experts in primary care, prevention and evidence-based medicine. They serve on a volunteer basis, dedicating their time to help reduce disease and improve the health of all Americans -- a mission well-aligned with the Make America Healthy Again initiative.”
Recommendations issued by the task force determine coverage policy for health insurers.
“By law, insurers must cover USPSTF-recommended services without cost sharing,” according to the letter. “This means that patients have access to services such as screenings for colon, breast and lung cancer; screenings for anxiety and depression in children; and screenings and preventive services for cardiovascular disease. Access to these services without cost sharing plays a critical role in keeping patients healthy and reducing the burdens of disease.”
The U.S. Supreme Court in late June upheld the preventive care coverage mandate in the Affordable Care Act. The 6-3 ruling asserted that the task force can continue issuing recommendations for services that must be covered by health insurers without cost-sharing.
“The task force members are removable at will by the secretary of HHS, and their recommendations are reviewable by the secretary before they take effect,” Justice Brett Kavanaugh wrote for the court majority. “So task force members are supervised and directed by the secretary, who in turn answers to the [resident, preserving the chain of command in Article II.”
Improving patient health is the bottom line, the AMA letter concluded.
“Given the essential role USPSTF members play in weighing the benefits and harms of preventive services such as screenings, behavioral counseling and preventive medications, and making evidence-based recommendations for implementation in primary care settings,” it said, “we urge you to keep the previously appointed USPSTF members and continue the task force’s regular meeting schedule to ensure recommendations are put forth, updated and disseminated without delay."
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