Protect U.S. Preventive Services Task Force Integrity Act

What it does

• •Establishes that the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) membership shall consist of 16 members appointed by the Secretary with staggered 4-year terms, with specified expertise requirements in clinical prevention, health promotion, and evidence-based medicine implementation.
• •Requires the Secretary to review and approve waivers for Task Force members with financial conflicts of interest only after documented searches for alternatives and with conditions including recusal from affected matters and public disclosure of the waiver.
• •Specifies that the Secretary may review and block new or updated USPSTF recommendations before they take effect, but cannot directly order the Task Force to formulate specific grade recommendations or change existing ones unless the change is evidence-based and aligns with the Task Force's April 2023 procedure manual.
• •Mandates that the Task Force meet at least three times per year for formal votes and that Task Force procedures may only be revised through formal rulemaking, based on the April 2023 procedure manual as the baseline.

Why it matters

• •The bill addresses constitutional concerns raised in the Supreme Court's Kennedy v. Braidwood Management decision regarding the Task Force's appointment and operation, clarifying the Secretary's authority to review recommendations while protecting against direct political control over Task Force conclusions.
• •The provisions aim to preserve patients' access to preventive services without cost-sharing (deductibles or copays) under the Affordable Care Act by preventing recommendations from being changed based on departmental priorities rather than evidence.

Who is affected

• •Individuals appointed to or considered for appointment to the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, including clinical prevention experts and health researchers.
• •Patients covered under health plans subject to the Affordable Care Act's preventive services requirements.
• •The Department of Health and Human Services, which appoints Task Force members and reviews recommendations.

What happens next

The bill has been referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce for consideration.