Scoop: Obamacare coverage panel meeting postponed by shutdown

The Department of Health and Human Services has called off a November meeting of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, citing the government shutdown.

Why it matters: The 16-member expert panel hasn't had a formal in-person meeting since March after Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. postponed a July meeting that was supposed to take up steps to prevent cardiovascular disease and hasn't been rescheduled.

• HHS spokeswoman Emily Hilliard confirmed the latest postponement, saying Kennedy "looks forward to working with the USPSTF to Make America Healthy Again."

Context: The task force makes recommendations for preventive services that health insurers must cover at no cost to enrollees under the Affordable Care Act. Its recommendations include HIV screening for adolescents and adults, tobacco cessation interventions and breastfeeding support for postpartum moms.

• The panel customarily meets in person three times a year, per its procedure manual. This year's November meeting date and agenda had not yet been made public.

What they're saying: The task force's "credibility comes from that [scientific] rigor and its independence," said Aaron Carroll, president and CEO of AcademyHealth.

• "Interrupting that work risks letting politics decide what preventive care Americans get and what evidence clinicians rely on when helping a patient."

Zoom out: The Wall Street Journal reported in July that Kennedy was considering dismissing task force members for being too "woke," fueling concern in the public health committee that he'd replace them with handpicked appointees.

• Hilliard said in a statement to Axios on Wednesday that HHS has "been made aware of the ideological issues with members of USPSTF" by GOP lawmakers and some health provider associations.

• "HHS is troubled by these allegations and is investigating further," she said.
• The Supreme Court in June upheld the structure of the task force in a case surrounding coverage of HIV prevention drugs, ruling that its members are accountable to the HHS secretary, who has the power to remove and replace members at will.

HHS separately has postponed an October meeting of a vaccine advisory panel that Kennedy selected after ousting 17 previous members. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention staff supporting that committee were laid off earlier this month, per The Guardian.