UCLA RESEARCH BRIEF Shopify Partners/Burst Under the Affordable Care Act, the secretary of health and human services is authorized to prohibit payment for services given a “D” rating by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, the researchers say. Enrique Rivero | FINDINGS A UCLA-led study shows that physicians frequently order preventive medical services for adult Medicare beneficiaries that are considered unnecessary and of “low value” by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force — at a cost of $478 million per year. The researchers analyzed national survey data over a 10-year period, looking specifically at seven preventive services given a “D” rating by the task force, and discovered that these services were ordered more than 31 million times annually.