This is the logical extension of Trump Derangement Syndrome, where anything recommended by Trump or someone who works for him is automatically rejected as Bad
RFK Jr. wants you to get more preventive care. Some experts say that’s a bad idea.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s about to remake another government panel with power over Americans’ access to health care.
This time around, unlike his push to downsize the vaccine schedule, the health secretary is eager to expand the care Americans get.
Kennedy’s denunciation of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force for not requiring insurers to cover testing for Alzheimer’s disease has sparked lobbying by manufacturers of tests who’d benefit if Kennedy were to also encourage the task force to recommend coverage of more testing for colon cancer. A patient advocacy group whose members include drug companies has also reached out to Kennedy, hoping he can expand testing for kidney disease. More copay-free tests could appeal to patients if it doesn’t cause their already burdensome insurance premiums to spike some more. (snip)
The Reagan administration set up the Preventive Services Task Force in 1984 to help health care providers know what screenings were effective. It’s long been comprised of a group of primary care doctors appointed by the health secretary. Congress in the Affordable Care Act required screenings the task force says have strong evidence of at least moderate health benefits be covered in full. The list includes colonoscopies, mammograms, counseling and preventive medication.
Sounds like a good idea, doesn’t it? I mean, Obamacare, which Democrats love, requires a whole bunch of preventative screening
But Kennedy’s plan to overhaul the task force has triggered alarm among some doctors’ and patients’ groups that he would follow the same playbook he did with the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, an external group advising the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on which vaccines to recommend for children. (snip)
Two former task force chairs, including one Kennedy fired in May, expressed concerns in a New York Times opinion piece that the health secretary could call for “recommendations that bolster the financial interests of the myriad individuals in his circle who profit from fitness and nutrition products.” HHS did not respond to a request for comment on that criticism.
Yawn. This is what they do, dig for a Reason to oppose ideas that are good when they come from Trump and his people.
Beyond his statement about Alzheimer’s testing, Kennedy hasn’t said what he thinks the task force should do. Without mentioning the task force, he has suggested he’d like to see Americans receive more preventive care aimed at encouraging healthier eating and exercise. He’s also said he wants everyone using a wearable device over the next few years. He expects the data they see will prompt them to adopt healthier lifestyles.
“We fought for this because it saves lives and it saves money for families, for businesses, for Government, for everybody. And that’s because it’s a lot cheaper to prevent an illness than to treat one”.
Oh, wait, that second quote is from Obama. But, I will say, government is not getting my data from my Samsung smart watch.
Kennedy feels the task force has been too slow and too conservative in its recommendations guiding preventive care, “which is well understood to be one of the best investments we can make in the health of the country,” the official said.
How dare he!
Some companies could see a windfall if the task force recommends their products. The American Association of Kidney Patients counts several drugmakers among its corporate members, including Novartis, which manufacture drugs that help fight kidney disease. But Conway rejected “the premise that our policy positions benefit industry — they benefit patients, families and taxpayers.”
Suddenly Politico has a problem with some companies seeing a windfall, despite, say, pushing the fake COVID vaccine on everyone, where just a few companies made a bundle.
Some fear task force members selected by Kennedy won’t be so careful in evaluating the evidence around health benefits and will be susceptible to industry and patient pressure campaigns.
It’s preventative care, folks. Relax. Which Politico doesn’t. They just keep whining and whining.
Read: Democrats Are Now Against Preventative Care Because RFK, Jr Recommends It »
Last week was hot. Very hot. Heat readings taken with an infrared sensor in NoDa clocked surface temperatures at 140 degrees Thursday afternoon. A heat dome settled over the Southeast, causing near-record-setting temperatures over the Fourth of July weekend.
Hospitality trade groups from Florida and nearly a dozen other states have asked this question of the federal government after the U.S. Supreme Court upheld its right to strip temporary protection status from Haitian and Syrian immigrants:
