| |  | Health on the Hill | Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. entered his second week of congressional budget hearings signaling upcoming moves to overhaul preventive care in the United States, which at times conflicts with current policy. During his appearance before the House Energy and Commerce health subcommittee Tuesday, Kennedy’s testimony highlighted a central tension within his agenda. While he’s pushing an aggressive shift toward prevention and tackling chronic disease, it could be somewhat complicated to pull off. Here are three key moments where preventive care was at the forefront: 1. Prevention meets coverage reality: Kennedy told lawmakers that promoting the use of wearable technologies — including continuous glucose monitors — is a “key part” of the Trump administration’s efforts to tackle chronic disease. But Rep. Nanette Barragán (D-California) argued that many patients enrolled in federal health programs can only get continuous glucose monitor devices covered once their condition worsens — and can lose access once they improve. “That's not right,” Kennedy said. “I would like to solve that problem.” 2. Preventive services panel overhaul: Kennedy said he would be kicking off a search for new members to serve on an influential federal panel of experts that develops recommendations for the preventive care services that must be covered by insurance — for free — under the Affordable Care Act. Kennedy reiterated Tuesday that he’s working to reform the panel, called the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF). “We will be putting, in the Federal Register this week, solicitations for new members of that task force,” he told lawmakers. That builds on comments Kennedy made in a House hearing last week, during which he called the panel “lackadaisical and negligent for 20 years.” He pledged to increase how frequently the body meets. “It’s not been doing its job. If it had been doing its job, we would have an early screening for Alzheimer’s,” Kennedy told Rep. Troy Balderson (R-Ohio) Tuesday in response to questions about how the federal government would prioritize including early Alzheimer’s detection into primary care. → Last month, a group of senators wrote a letter to Kennedy expressing concern that the preventive services panel had been “effectively rendered … dormant.” The USPSTF, which typically meets three times each year, met just once in 2025. Kennedy has reportedly been seeking to replace all the members of the task force with his own picks, drawing concern from provider groups. The terms of five of the 16 members expired in December. 3. Medicare Advantage messiness: Kennedy told lawmakers that Medicare Advantage’s approach to treating patients based on outcomes is superior to the fee-for-service model in Medicare. But he also agreed with criticism from Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-New York) that the private plans that run Medicare Advantage are “fleecing the public” by engaging in a practice called “upcoding” to extract excess federal payments. In a cordial exchange with the progressive lawmaker, Kennedy defended a recent payment increase to Medicare Advantage plans, arguing the administration had to balance cracking down on insurers with maintaining coverage options for older Americans — particularly in regions where plans might otherwise exit if they weren’t making enough money. “We know that these folks are lying,” said Ocasio-Cortez. “And if I’m hearing you correctly, we are giving them more money because they’re saying that they need it.” “Yeah, they’re lying. But [in] my job as HHS secretary, I have to balance the impact on patients if there are no options in those areas. We did a lot to verify; we don’t trust,” Kennedy replied, adding the government is cracking down on overpayments by using AI. He also said that blowback to the Trump administration’s proposed Medicare Advantage rates, which had been essentially flat before the final rates gave plans more, came not just from insurance companies but also providers worried that some patients could lose coverage. Insurers have argued that Medicare Advantage offers patients broader coverage — including vision and dental — that traditional Medicare doesn’t offer, and have quibbled with some estimates showing it vastly overcharges the government. | 
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