Opinion: MAHA kids’ health report misinforms about tonsillectomies and ear tubes
Despite what the MAHA report suggests, there are real, proven, and often life-changing benefits of adenotonsillectomy and ear tube surgery for many children
TheMake America Healthy Again commission’s recent report on children’s health has received a lot of attention for its citation errors and focus on ultra-processed foods, smartphones, and stimulant use. But the less-discussed part on “overmedicalization” of American children stood out to us. While the report mentions surgical care only briefly, it identifies two common procedures, adenotonsillectomy and tympanostomy tube (ear tube) placement, as surgeries that “cause harm without offering benefits.” These procedures are among the most performed surgeries in children.
We are pediatric ear, nose, and throat surgeons with years of clinical and research experience. One of us (EB) leads research on how parents make decisions about elective surgeries like tonsillectomy. The other (DT) has led development of national evidence-based clinical practice guidelines aimed to ensure appropriate surgical care. We agree that these two childhood procedures are performed often enough to warrant vigilance around overuse and unnecessary surgery.
