The Trump administration has dismissed the two leaders of an influential health panel that decides when insurance must cover free preventive services such as mammograms and colonoscopies for millions of Americans.
Abrupt Termination of Appointments
In letters dated May 11, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. informed Drs. John Wong and Esa Davis, the chairpersons of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, that their appointments were terminated immediately, before the end of their multiyear terms. The letters did not specify the reasons for their removal.
Sidelining of the Panel
The Department of Health and Human Services had already largely sidelined the task force by indefinitely postponing scheduled public meetings over the past year, leaving long-expected updates on cervical cancer screenings and other topics in limbo. The panel, established in the 1980s, consists of experts who evaluate scientific evidence on disease prevention tools, including depression screenings and statins for heart attack prevention. It updates guidelines with letter grades reflecting the strength of the science. Under the Affordable Care Act, most insurance plans must cover services rated “A” or “B” without requiring a co-pay.
Kennedy’s letters praised the doctors’ “leadership, contributions and expertise” in advancing the task force’s work to improve Americans’ health and encouraged them to reapply. He stated he was reviewing task force appointments “to ensure clarity, continuity and confidence” in HHS oversight. The letters were first reported by The New York Times. An HHS spokesman did not respond to inquiries about the firings.
Reform Plans and Concerns
Kennedy told lawmakers last month that he was reforming the task force, calling it “lackadaisical,” to meet more frequently and have “for the first time, transparency.” The panel currently holds public meetings, opens draft guidelines for public comment, and publishes scientific evidence. Some health advocates fear Kennedy may replace expert panelists with less experienced political appointees, as he did with a vaccine advisory committee. Over the past year, the task force was prevented from publishing its final update to cervical cancer screening guidelines or updating recommendations on 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 uses staggered terms so that health secretaries can regularly appoint new members without disrupting the panel, according to Aaron Carroll of the nonpartisan health policy group AcademyHealth.
