HHS Says No Decision Yet on Firing Members of Obamacare Panel

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) said on July 28 that a decision hasn’t yet been made about whether the members of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force will be fired. The agency’s statement comes after The Wall Street Journal, citing anonymous sources, reported on July 25 that Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said he planned to remove all members of the task force. Kennedy has been leading an effort to restructure the department by, among other things, streamlining programs and reducing its workforce. The task force was created in 2010 by the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, also known as the Obamacare law. The panel issues mandates requiring health insurers to cover preventive medical services, such as medications and screenings, without cost to patients....