Experts are concerned the USPSTF may face elimination or significant changes due to perceived political interference. Following a Supreme Court ruling that supported the Affordable Care Act's preventive care provisions, organizations urged Congress to safeguard the USPSTF. They emphasized that any political interference would undermine the Task Force's integrity, harming patient care and access to effective health resources. The letter, led by AcademyHealth and signed by over 100 health organizations, highlighted the need for nonpartisan operations and trustworthiness in health recommendations.
"This is very worrying, because if past is prologue, it may suggest that they are preparing to eliminate or emasculate the committee," Peter Lurie, executive director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, told The New York Times.
In a letter to Congress this week, health and medical organizations urged lawmakers to protect the USPSTF from Kennedy, noting the Supreme Court ruling.
They wrote, "It is critical that Congress protects the integrity of the USPSTF from intentional or unintentional political interference."
The loss of trustworthiness in the rigorous and nonpartisan work of the Task Force would devastate patients, hospital systems, and payers as misinformation creates barriers to accessing lifesaving and cost effective care.
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