RFK Jr. wants to add specialists to preventive care panel. Experts say it’s the wrong move | CNN

Less than a year after remaking a key vaccine advisory committee, US Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has set his sights on overhauling an HHS panel of medical experts that determine what preventive care Americans can receive at no cost. Kennedy is seeking to expand the US Preventive Services Task Force’s membership beyond primary care doctors to specialists, a move that raises concerns among some former panel members and other experts that specialists may not have the needed breadth of knowledge. The task force recommends screenings for cancer, diabetes, heart diseases, sexually transmitted infections and other preventive care. The task force’s work has a direct impact on millions of people’s wallets. Insurers must cover preventive services that get an A or B grade from the panel at no cost to patients, thanks to the Affordable Care Act. In a notice published Thursday in the Federal Register, HHS is asking for nominations of new members, encouraging anesthesiologists, cardiologists, oncologists, radiologists, obstetricians and other specialists to apply. The agency anticipates that the new members will start serving in July. It’s unclear whether Ke