Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
RFK Jr.'s Plan To Remove Preventive Health Panelists Rebuked By AMA
The Wall Street Journal: RFK Jr. To Oust Advisory Panel On Cancer Screenings, HIV Prevention Drugs
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is planning to remove all the members of an advisory panel that determines what cancer screenings and other preventive health measures insurers must cover, people familiar with the matter said. Kennedy plans to dismiss all 16 panel members of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force because he views them as too “woke,” the people said. The task force has advised the federal government on preventive health matters since 1984. The Affordable Care Act in 2010 gave it the power to determine which screenings, counseling and preventive medications most insurers are required to cover at no cost to patients. The group, made up of volunteers with medical expertise who are vetted for conflicts of interest, combs through scientific evidence to determine which interventions are proven to work. (Whyte, 7/25)
The Guardian: Top Medical Body Concerned Over RFK Jr’s Reported Plans To Cut Preventive Health Panel
A top US medical body has expressed “deep concern” to Robert F Kennedy Jr over news reports that the health secretary plans to overhaul a panel that determines which preventive health measures including cancer screenings should be covered by insurance companies. The letter from the the American Medical Association comes after the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday that Kennedy plans to overhaul the 40-year old US Preventive Services Task Force because he regards them as too “woke”, according to sources familiar with the matter. (Yang, 7/27)
On federal funding cuts —
Stat: NIH Cuts Will Wind Up Costing More Than They Saved, Study Suggests
Initial analyses of the Trump administration’s proposed National Institutes of Health budget cuts have overlooked key aspects of their long-term economic and health impact, according to a newly released paper, which suggests the effects will be sprawling and ultimately cost the country more than is being saved through the cuts. (Oza, 7/28)
The Hill: Sen. Katie Britt, GOP Senators Urge White House To Release Delayed NIH Funding
Sen. Katie Britt (R-Ala.) and 13 other Senate Republicans are urging the Trump administration to release National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding that has been held up for months. The GOP senators warned in a letter to White House budget chief Russell Vought that the “slow disbursement of funds” that Congress appropriated in March “risks undermining critical research and the thousands of American jobs it supports.” (Bolton, 7/25)
CIDRAP: Group Criticizes NIH Over Suspended Funding For TB Research
A group that advocates for better treatment and prevention for tuberculosis (TB), HIV, and hepatitis C yesterday is calling for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to restore funding for scores of TB research projects. (Dall, 7/25)
AP: Grant Cuts Reveal A Crisis For Patients With Experimental Brain Implants
Carol Seeger finally escaped her debilitating depression with an experimental treatment that placed electrodes in her brain and a pacemaker-like device in her chest. But when its batteries stopped working, insurance wouldn’t pay to fix the problem and she sank back into a dangerous darkness. She worried for her life, asking herself: “Why am I putting myself through this?” (Ungar, 7/27)
Also —
Politico: Women’s Health Care Lacks Funding, Research, FDA Chief Says
Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Marty Makary argued women’s health care has not received proper funding and research, attributing the lack of attention to the industry’s male-dominated culture. “It does feel like the system just doesn’t think specifically about the very particular needs of women’s bodies and doesn’t do enough research into this,” Makary told POLITICO White House Bureau Chief Dasha Burns on an episode of “The Conversation” podcast, which was taped on Wednesday. (Long, 7/27)
