Kennedy fires heads of task force that sets insurance coverage rules

[applegrove]

Kennedy fires heads of task force that sets insurance coverage rules

Maya Goldman

https://www.axios.com/2026/05/20/kennedy-fires-heads-of-task-force-that-sets-insurance-coverage-rules

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. fired the co-chairs of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force last week.

Why it matters: The move could open the task force up to more political influence. It comes as the administration prepares to vet new applicants to the committee, a process in which the chairs would typically be involved.

* The expert panel recommends which health services insurers must cover at no cost to patients under the Affordable Care Act.

State of play: Kennedy sent letters dated May 11 to John Wong, a professor and primary care clinician at Tufts University, and Esa Davis, a professor and family physician at University of Maryland, stating that their appointments as chairs would conclude effective immediately.

* Wong's term was slated to last until mid-March 2027, and Davis's term until mid-March 2028.
* HHS confirmed the dismissals and released copies of the letters but didn't respond to follow-up questions.

[UpInArms]

1. They just cannot allow one competent person to stay

[Lovie777]

2. It's not going to get better .....

Everything is getting worse.

This is hell.

[applegrove]

3. They are slowly crashing the ACA. They don't want poor and lower class people

to make it to SS and Medicare age.

[lostincalifornia]

4. USPSTF has a lot of issues with some of their recommendations which actually have put some people

in jeparody, including President Biden, with their dumbassed recommendation that men over 70 do not need to be screened for prostate cancer.

That being said, putting RFK jr in charge of this, can only make things worse.

[in2herbs]

5. Why can't we impeach him??? nt

[Beringia]

6. With Ebola and hantavirus and others, Kennedy is yet another trump wrecking ball