RFK Jr. defends health agenda, says he'll reform USPSTF at congressional hearing

At his first congressional hearing this year, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. defended his record and the Trump administration's health agenda and said he plans to reform the USPSTF, which is the task force that determines which preventive medical screenings, procedures, and medications insurance companies are required to cover at no cost.

Kennedy testified before the House Ways and Means Committee last week and touted his accomplishments at HHS, including drug price negotiations and new dietary guidelines.

"We're ending the era of federal policies that fueled the chronic disease epidemic and replacing them with policies that put the health of Americans first," Kennedy said in his opening remarks.

During the hearing, Rep. Linda Sánchez (D-Calif.) pressed Kennedy on the death of an unvaccinated child from measles during an outbreak in Texas, asking whether the measles vaccine could have saved the child's life. In response, Kennedy said "It's possible — certainly."

Sánchez then asked Kennedy about his priorities as HHS secretary, including CDC's decision to end a public awareness campaign promoting the flu vaccine.

Kennedy said during the hearing that he plans to reform USPSTF, accusing the panel of having been "lackadaisical and negligent for 20 years" and saying he plans on appointing new members with "a clear mission." However, he did not elaborate beyond that.

(Stone, NPR, 4/16; Astor/Blum, New York Times, 4/16)

Trump issues order directing more access to psychedelics for clinical trials

President Donald Trump on Saturday signed an executive order to increase federal research into psychedelic drugs and make them available in controlled therapeutic settings.

"We're taking this decision, this decisive step, to confront one of the most urgent public health challenges facing our nation, the mental health crisis," Trump said at the signing of the order in the Oval Office.

CMS proposes repealing pathway allowing breakthrough devices payment flexibilities

In a proposed Medicare rule, CMS said it wants to repeal a pathway that currently allows breakthrough medical devices to qualify for certain supplementary payments without having to prove they provide a significant clinical improvement over alternatives.

Since 2001, Medicare has given hospitals a chance to receive extra payments for innovative medical devices when those devices meet three criteria: They're new and different from what's currently available, they provide clinical improvement over options that currently exist, and they're especially costly.

Since 2021, devices that received a breakthrough designation from FDA have been required to only prove that they're expensive to qualify for extra payments.

However, in the new proposed rule, CMS said it wants to roll back that pathway for breakthrough devices. "As we have gained experience, we have concerns with the limited evaluation process" for these payments, the rule says. Going forward, CMS wants all new technologies to demonstrate both their newness and that they're a substantial improvement over available technologies to qualify for the payments.

"We believe these changes would be the most prudent and transparent method to allow us to improve our focus on facilitating payment for innovative, high-value technologies that improve care for Medicare beneficiaries," the proposed rule says.

(Palmer, STAT+ [subscription required], 4/15)

HHS hires new official focused on healthcare affordability

HHS is planning to hire a new official aimed at focusing on healthcare affordability, according to sources who spoke to Axios.

HHS has appointed Casey Mulligan as chief economist and chief regulatory officer who will advise HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and other agency leaders on issues related to affordability.

Mulligan formerly served on the Council of Economic Advisers during the first Trump administration and most recently worked as the chief counsel for advocacy at the U.S. Small Business Administration.

(Owens, Axios, 4/16)