Overview

• Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is reported to be preparing to remove all 16 current members of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force.
• The task force issues evidence-based recommendations for screenings and preventive treatments that insurers must cover at no cost under the Affordable Care Act.
• Department of Health and Human Services spokesperson Andrew Nixon said no final decision has been made on changes to the panel.
• The American Medical Association and American Academy of Pediatrics have petitioned Congress to enact statutory safeguards for the panel’s independent operations.
• The proposal follows Kennedy’s June dismissal of the CDC’s vaccine advisory committee and comes after the Supreme Court affirmed the HHS secretary’s authority to appoint and remove task force members.