RFK Jr. cites safety concerns to reimburse global vaccine group
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said funding for organizations providing free vaccines for meningitis, malaria and other illnesses has been suspended.
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Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. suddenly postponed a meeting of another major federal advisory committee responsible for health recommendations for preventive care.
Members of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force were notified via email that the Secretary’s in-person office has postponed a scheduled in-person meeting on July 10, according to anyone with knowledge of situations where they are not permitted to speak publicly.
Task Force members were scheduled to discuss recommendations for healthy diet, physical activity and weight loss.
In an email sent to USA Today, HHS confirmed that the task force did not meet July 10th.
Carroll said Move Rings will ring the bell when it reflects the secretary’s actions before firing all 17 members of another federal advisory board at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on the Advisory Committee on Vaccination Practices (ACIP).
The postponed USPSTF meeting follows a recent Supreme Court decision that Kennedy will freely remove any Task Force members and review recommendations before it becomes effective.
The postponed meeting is “concerned,” said Dr. Aaron Carroll, CEO of AcademyHealth, a nonprofit healthcare group. “Given what happened with ACIP, there’s really a terrifying thing that could happen again in USPSTF.”
The recommendations made by ACIP have broad implications, guide school vaccine requirements and impact government programs that provide free vaccinations to about half of American children. Kennedy quickly appointed eight new members in a few days later, including several vaccine skeptics.
Under the Affordable Care Act, USPSTF plays a major role in selecting preventive health services that are covered by a free insurance plan for patients, including cancer screening, STI testing, mental health screening, and important drugs. Forcing task members to be removed for no reason could threaten access to their care, Carroll said.
USPSTF recommends in areas such as women’s health and obesity.
“This isn’t like a bureaucratic shuffle,” Carroll said. “You’re confusing how patients access care without cost preventative care, how clinicians practice it, how payers design it. That’s a calm message for everyone.”
The Supreme Court decision that revealed Kennedy’s authority over the USPSTF came from a Texas case. Two Christian-owned businesses and individuals argued that the health insurance plans they purchase do not need to cover medical tests or drugs that challenge them on religious grounds such as HIV-Prevention Drug Prep.
Access to this type of care could be at risk if Kennedy appoints members of a new task force carrying certain political ideologies, Carroll said.
At the postponed meeting, dozens of healthcare groups urged them to send letters to Senate Committee leaders on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, urging Congress to maintain task force procedures and duties.
“It is important for Congress to protect the USPSTF’s integrity from intentional or unintended political interference,” according to letters signed by AcademyHealth, the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics and others.
Adrianna Rodriguez can visit adrodriguez@usatoday.com.
