Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is considering ousting all the members of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF), a key advisory panel that offers guidance on preventive services, according to media reports.
The Wall Street Journal reported Friday that RFK Jr. plans to dismiss all 16 panel members of the USPSTF because he views them as too “woke,” according to people familiar with the matter who spoke to the media outlet.
A HHS spokesperson told NBC News in an emailed statement Friday that “no final decision has been made on how the USPSTF can better support HHS’ mandate to Make America Healthy Again.”
Earlier this month, RFK Jr.’s office abruptly called off a scheduled meeting of the USPSTF, which prompted many healthcare experts to air concerns about potential political interference that could sideline independent experts.
The HHS’ Immediate Office of the Secretary sent an email to USPSTF meeting participants four days before a scheduled July 10 meeting informing them that the meeting was postponed, according to a source familiar with the USPSTF meetings. In the email, the HHS noted that it looks forward to engaging with the task force to promote the health and well-being of the American people.
Even with no confirmation that these major changes to the task force are happening, the American Medical Association (AMA) wasted no time in voicing its “deep concern” directly to RFK Jr. about news reports that he intends to remove all members of the USPSTF.
The AMA said it sent a letter to RFK Jr. on Sunday following the media reports.
“USPSTF plays a critical, non-partisan role in guiding physicians’ efforts to prevent disease and improve the health of patients by helping to ensure access to evidence-based clinical preventive services,” the AMA said in its letter. “As such, we urge you to retain the previously appointed members of the USPSTF and commit to the long-standing process of regular meetings to ensure their important work can continue without interruption.”
The USPSTF is made up of 16 volunteer members who are nationally recognized experts in prevention, evidence-based medicine and primary care. Task force members, appointed by the secretary of the HHS, serve staggered four-year terms to ensure all 16 members are not appointed by the same presidential administration.
Members are screened to ensure they have no substantial conflicts of interest, according to the task force’s website.
The USPSTF was established in 1984 to make recommendations to general practice physicians and public health bodies on preventive care. Federal policymakers rely on the USPSTF recommendations, including the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The USPSTF has long played an essential role in making evidence-based recommendations for clinical prevention of disease, the AMA said in its letter. “USPSTF members have been selected through an open, public nomination process and are nationally recognized experts in primary care, prevention and evidence-based medicine. They serve on a volunteer basis, dedicating their time to help reduce disease and improve the health of all Americans—a mission well-aligned with the Make America Healthy Again initiative,” the organization said.
The USPSTF also provides recommendations that dictate coverage policy for health insurers. By law, insurers must cover USPSTF-recommended services without cost sharing.
“This means that patients have access to services such as screenings for colon, breast, and lung cancer; screenings for anxiety and depression in children; and screenings and preventive services for cardiovascular disease. Access to these services without cost sharing plays a critical role in keeping patients healthy and reducing the burdens of disease,” the AMA said.
The Supreme Court last month upheld the key preventive services task force in a 6-3 ruling. The decision, Kennedy v. Braidwood, preserved the Affordable Care Act’s preventive coverage mandate and also determined that members of the USPSTF are selected within the bounds of the Constitution.
In that case, both the Biden and Trump administrations argued that the task force was properly set up and its recommendations should be upheld because the HHS secretary was able to name and fire its members.
Earlier this month, healthcare organizations began to sound the alarm, warning that RFK Jr. may revamp the task force as he did with the CDC’s federal vaccine panel. Last month, RFK Jr. dismissed all 17 members of the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices and replaced them with a group of eight advisors, including one who has already stepped down and others who have expressed their anti-vaccine views.
After the USPSTF meeting was canceled July 10, more than 100 healthcare organizations penned a letter (PDF) to key congressional leaders urging them to “protect the integrity of the United States Preventive Services Task Force.”
A recent essay in The American Conservative urged RFK Jr. to dismantle the preventive services advisory panel. The article accused the USPSTF of using its authority to “launder left-wing ideological orthodoxy into its preventive care recommendations.”