Kennedy Fires 2 Preventive Panel Leaders as HHS Seeks Replacements by May 23
Updated
Updated · Reuters · May 20
Kennedy Fires 2 Preventive Panel Leaders as HHS Seeks Replacements by May 23
6 articles · Updated · Reuters · May 20
May 11 letters removed Preventive Services Task Force chair John Wong and vice chair Esa Davis, even though their terms ran to 2027 and 2028, respectively.
HHS said the firings were administrative and tied to new standard operating procedures, with applications for panel seats open through May 23; Wong said both ousted leaders reapplied.
The 16-member task force last met more than a year ago after Kennedy canceled scheduled meetings, and five expired seats from December still have not been filled.
Medical experts say the panel's sidelining is already delaying updates to no-cost screening guidance for cancer, heart disease and other conditions.
The task force's recommendations shape preventive services insurers must cover without patient cost-sharing, and the Supreme Court last June affirmed the health secretary's authority to review them.
With a key health panel's leaders fired, is the future of free preventive care now in question?
A top health panel is being remade. Can science stay independent when leadership changes overnight?