The Trump administration has dismissed the two leading figures of a key health organization responsible for deciding when insurance policies should cover preventive care services, such as mammograms and colonoscopies, at no cost to millions of Americans.
On May 11, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. sent letters to the two doctors heading the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, notifying them of their immediate removal from their roles, even though their multiyear terms were yet to end.
The Department of Health and Human Services had already largely marginalized the task force by indefinitely delaying its scheduled public meetings over the past year. This postponement has left anticipated updates on topics like cervical cancer screenings in a state of uncertainty.
Established in the 1980s, the panel consists of experts who evaluate the most recent data on various disease prevention methods, including depression screenings and the use of statins to prevent heart attacks. They update guidelines with letter grades that reflect the strength of the scientific evidence. The Affordable Care Act mandates that most insurance plans cover preventive services rated with an “A” or “B” grade without a co-payment.
In his letters, Kennedy did not specify the reasons for removing Drs. John Wong and Esa Davis from the task force. He acknowledged their contributions and leadership in advancing the task force’s mission and encouraged them to reapply. Kennedy mentioned that he is reviewing appointments to ensure “clarity, continuity, and confidence” in HHS oversight.
The New York Times initially reported on these letters. A spokesperson for HHS did not provide answers to inquiries regarding the dismissal of the two doctors.
Kennedy told lawmakers last month that he was reforming the task force, calling it “lackadaisical,” so that it would meet more frequently and “have, for the first time, transparency.” The panel holds public meetings, opens its draft guidelines to public comment before finalizing them, and publishes the scientific evidence behind them.
Some health advocates had worried that Kennedy was preparing to replace the expert panel with less experienced political appointees, like he had done with a critical vaccine advisory committee. Over the past year, the task force wasn’t allowed to publish its final update to the cervical cancer screening guideline or take steps to update recommendations about maternal depression, said former task force chairman Dr. Michael Silverstein, a pediatrician.
“This is a level of government intrusion into scientific processes that I’ve not experienced in my 10 years on the task force,” he said.
The panel has staggered terms so that normally health secretaries can regularly appoint new members, making their mark on the task force without upending it, said Aaron Carroll of the nonpartisan healthy policy group AcademyHealth.
