HHS Secretary RFK, Jr, Cancels July 10 USPSTF Meeting, Prompting Fear Across Primary Care Professional Groups

©USPSTF

Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr, abruptly canceled this week’s in-person meeting of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF), a panel that provides evidence-based recommendations on screenings and other preventive care.

The decision, issued without explanation just days before the meeting, has sparked outcry among health care leaders who say it could signal a political shake-up that threatens public trust and patient access to cost-free preventive services

No Reason Given

An email sent Monday July 7 from the Immediate Office of the Secretary informed participants that the meeting, originally scheduled for Thursday, July 10, was postponed. A spokesperson for HHS confirmed the cancellation but declined to provide further comment or details regarding the rescheduling, according to a CNN report.

“Moving forward, HHS looks forward to engaging with the task force to promote the health and well-being of the American people,” the email stated, according to reports from The New York Times.

The meeting was set to discuss behavioral counseling interventions for diet, physical activity and weight loss to prevent cardiovascular disease.

Mounting Concerns

Although not publicly explained, the cancellation follows a pattern that has raised concerns among public health experts. Last month, Kennedy dismissed all 17 sitting members of the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), replacing them with a smaller group of handpicked advisors, some of whom have publicly questioned vaccine safety.

Many now worry that the USPSTF could see the same fate.

“The US Preventive Services Task Force is essential to ensuring cancer screenings and other lifesaving preventive services are covered by insurance at no cost to patients — and the abrupt postponement of tomorrow’s task force meeting should set off alarm bells for everyone worried about what our conspiracy-promoting Health Secretary is up to next,” said Sen Patty Murray (D-Washington), a former ACIP member herself, in a statement on Wednesday, July 9.

Pediatrician Aaron Carroll, MD, president and CEO of AcademyHealth, in Washington, DC, called protecting USPSTF “essential to maintaining public trust in its guidance,” adding that, “unfortunately, political interference, as we've seen in the last few weeks or months, and as we may see again, could undermine the task force's vital role in improving health outcomes nationwide.”

Supreme Court Ruling Expands HHS Control

The cancellation comes less than 2 weeks after the Supreme Court’s ruling in Kennedy v Braidwood, which upheld the task force’s constitutionality, but also affirmed the HHS Secretary’s power to hire and fire USPSTF members at will.

That authority, previously untested at scale, now looms large.

In a recent interview with the American Journal of Managed Care (AJMC), Jeffrey Fitzgerald, JD, a health care lawyer at Polsinelli Law Firm, in New York, NY, said the ruling leaves the door open for Kennedy to entirely remake the panel.

“Can the president or the secretary of HHS completely remove the whole panel and put in different people? Yes,” he explained. “We don’t have a long history of that happening in the country, but we have some of it now.”

Medical Groups Respond

On Wednesday, July 9, a coalition of 104 medical and public health groups, including the American College of Physicians (ACP), the American Academy of Family Physicians, and the American Medical Association, sent a letter to key Congressional leaders, urging the lawmakers to protect the USPSTF’s independence.

“The loss of trustworthiness in the rigorous and nonpartisan work of the Task Force would devastate patients, hospital systems and payers as misinformation creates barriers to accessing lifesaving and cost-effective care,” the 104 health care organizations warned.

The groups also outlined key safeguards they say must remain in place:

• Limited 4-year terms for members
• Staggered membership rotation — about one-quarter of members rotate off each year
• Membership consists of experienced primary care clinicians
• Volunteer service
• Rigorous conflict-of-interest vetting
• Open member nominations process
• Scientific and public health input into appointments
• The Secretary has endorsed and appointed all of the USPSTF’s recommended members

What’s At Stake

The Affordable Care Act mandates that insurers cover preventive services with an “A” or “B” grade from the USPSTF at no cost to patients. These include screenings for multiple cancers, HIV prevention drugs, depression screening and more — reaching more than 150 million Americans.

The panel’s recommendations carry significant clinical and financial weight. For physicians, changes in USPSTF guidance can directly influence practice patterns, quality metrics and reimbursement.

“The USPSTF’s transparent, rigorous and scientifically independent process is a national asset,” the physician groups wrote. “It is why clinicians trust the Task Force’s guidance, why patients follow its advice and why lawmakers linked its recommendations to health coverage.”

Looking ahead

For the time being, the USPSTF remains intact, and no formal changes to its membership have been announced. But the sudden cancellation and growing scrutiny have cast a long shadow over the panel’s future.

“We urge HHS to immediately provide a clear explanation for this decision and reaffirm its commitment to supporting independent, evidence-based public health policy,” said Jason M. Goldman, MD, president of ACP, in the group’s own statement.

As physicians, researchers and policymakers await further developments, many are watching for signs of a broader shift in how preventive care is defined, delivered and covered in the US.