Some people are concerned following the cancellation of a preventative health panel meeting this week. Since he was appointed earlier this year, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. has already overhauled at least one advisory panel.
That was the Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices that advises the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on vaccines, a topic Kennedy is known to have controversial opinions about. The panel meeting that was canceled this week was for the United States Preventive Services Task Force.
“The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force is essential to ensuring cancer screenings and other lifesaving preventive services are covered by insurance at no cost to patients – and the abrupt postponement of [the] task force meeting should set off alarm bells for everyone worried about what our conspiracy-promoting Health Secretary is up to next,” said a Wednesday statement from Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.).
According to a press release from Murray, the independent advisory panel is made up of 16 unpaid volunteer members who serve four-year terms. It also said the panel is supported by Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) staff, though that staff has been roughly halved in mass firings across the HHS this year.
Per the panel’s website, it was created in 1984 and it helps to improve U.S. healthcare by making evidence-based recommendations about clinical preventive services such as screenings, counseling services, and preventive medications. These recommendations are published on the Task Force’s Web site and/or in a peer-reviewed journal. AHRQ was authorized by the U.S. Congress to convene the Task Force in 1998.
Axios reported a “scoop” Wednesday that the meeting had been postponed. Its report said that the task force was expected to discuss healthy diet, physical activity and other steps to prevent cardiovascular disease, citing sources familiar with the matter.
Murray’s office noted that the U.S. Supreme Court ruled last month that USPSTF members are “inferior officers” consistent with the Appointments Clause to the Constitution. That means that their authority to determine coverage of preventive services was reaffirmed.
During former President Barack Obama’s tenure, the Affordable Care Act gave USPSTF recommendations the force of law for the first time, the office added. It said “that mammograms, colonoscopies, and screenings for depression, osteoporosis, lung cancer, and other recommended preventive care would be covered by insurance at no cost to patients.”
NBC News reported Friday that there was growing anxiety following the meeting cancellation. It noted that the meeting was canceled without explanation.
“In an emailed statement, Andrew Nixon, an HHS spokesperson, declined to say why the meeting was canceled or whether it would be rescheduled. He did not respond to a follow-up request for comment,” NBC reported.
The New York Times reported that members of the task force were alerted in a Monday notice that the Thursday meeting was postponed. The notice said that the “HHS looks forward to engaging with the task force to promote the health and well-being of the American people.”
“I’m concerned Secretary Kennedy may be taking the first steps to dismantle the Preventive Services Task Force and attack its mission and commitment to scientific evidence, just like he has done at the CDC’s vaccine advisory committee and across our nation’s public health agencies,” Murray said.
She encouraged people to reach out to Kennedy in support of preventative care measures. Audacy reported last month that Kennedy was supporting another type to preventative care: encouraging Americans to wear devices like FitBits and Apple Watches that monitor some health metrics.