A federal health panel that helps dictate which medical services insurers must cover now includes members with money riding on those decisions. Four of the eight people named in September by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to the US Preventive Services Task Force were allowed to keep stock in major drugmakers and health companies, according to conflict-of-interest waivers obtained by the New York Times. Several former task force members and officials warn the waivers could erode both the rigor of the group’s recommendations and public confidence in them.
The members’ holdings include shares in Eli Lilly, Johnson & Johnson, Merck, Pfizer, Novo Nordisk, CVS Health, and Cigna. The task force evaluates evidence for services including colonoscopies, depression screening, and HIV prevention medications. Its recommendations can affect doctors’ decisions and what insurers will have to cover, as well as the popularity of drugs and medical devices. Previously, candidates were expected to sell such stocks or forgo appointment, a standard that changed after President Trump and Kennedy gained greater control over the panel.