U.S. health prevention panel members have conflicts of interest

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WASHINGTON — Federal officials have granted blanket waivers to every member of an influential, yet little-known federal panel that evaluates preventive medical services, allowing them to serve despite some having clear financial stakes in decisions they might make.

The waivers, signed by a top federal official and obtained by STAT, show a willingness by health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s department to overlook financial conflicts of interests, though Kennedy frequently decries corporate influence in health care. In the case of two members, the documents show that they own private medical practices that could profit should the panel recommend particular types of care.

Other conflicts being waived include stock holdings in pharmaceutical and medical device companies and employment at public research universities that provide medical care. Some members of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, especially the newer ones, have more extensive conflicts than others.

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