Sending Office: Rush, Bobby L.
Sent By:
Riley.Masterson@mail.house.gov

Cosponsors: Castro, Chu, Dunn, Jackson Lee, Peter King, Marshall, Roe, Sewell

Dear Colleague:

We urge your support for H.R. 3534, the USPSTF Transparency and Accountability Act.

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) was created in 1984 as a panel of experts tasked with making evidence-based recommendations about clinical preventive services such as screenings, counseling services, and preventive medications.  Its role
on patient care has changed in recent years because the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) linked its recommendations to insurance coverage.  As a result, the USPSTF now determines which preventive services health plans must provide without enrollee
cost sharing obligations.

Limiting access to preventive services.  A number of USPSTF’s recommendations have raised concerns as they limit access to preventive care for Americans.  For instance, the USPSTF recommended against routine screening mammograms
on an annual basis for women ages 40–49 and against screening for prostate cancer in healthy men with a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) blood test.  The USPSTF also gave a failing grade to cognitive screening for dementia which severely limits access to early
detection of this terrible disease.

Need for change.  Currently, the USPSTF has little accountability.  The Task Force members are appointed by the Director of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), who is appointed by the Secretary of Health and Human
Services.  In addition, the Task Force does not meet with relevant stakeholders during their review process, nor do medical specialists in the subject under review serve on the Task Force.

That’s why we are introducing the USPSTF Transparency and Accountability Act.  This bill would expand the scope and responsibilities of the USPSTF to require
it to:

1. Publish research plans to guide its review of scientific evidence relating to the effectiveness of preventive services;
2. Make evidence reviews and recommendations available for public comment; and
3. Convene a preventive services advisory board made up of patient groups, community-based providers, and specialty physicians to provide feedback on Task Force activities and recommend preventive services and scientific evidence for the Task Force to review.

We invite you to join us in cosponsoring this important legislation.  To learn more or to cosponsor, please contact Lauren Citron in Rep. Rush’s office at Lauren.Citron@mail.house.gov or Aaron Bill in Rep.
Roe’s office at Aaron.Bill@mail.house.gov.

Sincerely,

Bobby L. Rush                                    David P. Roe
             Member of Congress                          Member of Congress

Judy Chu                                           Neal P. Dunn
            Member of Congress                         Member of Congress

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