health
First vaccines, now mammograms? RFK Jr.’s latest firings have doctors outraged.
Doctors are angry and alarmed that preventive care could go the way of vaccines.
TL;DR
- Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. fired two vice chairs of the US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF).
- The USPSTF makes recommendations and influences insurance coverage for preventive care services.
- Medical groups, including the American Medical Association and American College of Physicians, are alarmed by the firings.
- Concerns exist that the USPSTF may become politicized, similar to the Advisory Committee on Immunizations Practices (ACIP).
- The firings raise fears about continued access to crucial preventive services like mammograms and cancer screenings.
- The USPSTF currently has eight vacancies, including the chair and vice chair positions.
- Kennedy has previously criticized the USPSTF as "woke" and "lackadaisical."
- The two fired members were identified as John Wong and Esa Davis.