• Posted July 11, 2025

RFK Jr. Cancels Key U.S. Health Panel Meeting Without Warning, Raising Concerns

U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. canceled a meeting of government health panel that helps guide what preventive care is covered by insurance, alarming doctors and other health officials.

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) was set to meet Thursday, but members were told in an email Monday that the meeting would be postponed. No reason was given.

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

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) did not respond to questions about the cancellation.

The USPSTF is a nonpartisan panel of 16 volunteer doctors and health experts. 

It meets several times a year to review the latest science and decide which screenings, medications and other preventive services should be fully covered by insurance.

This includes tests for lung cancer, medications to reduce stroke risk and other life-saving services.

The decision to cancel the July meeting follows a U.S. Supreme Court ruling last month. Justices supported the task force’s role — but also gave Kennedy the power to ignore its advice or remove members before their terms end, The Times said.

Some experts are now concerned that the task force, like another federal health panel, may soon be completely reshaped.

Earlier this year, Kennedy removed all 17 members from a U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) vaccine committee. The people he chose to replace them included some who have publicly questioned the safety of vaccines.

“This is very worrying,” said Dr. Peter Lurie, executive director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest. "If past is prologue, it may suggest that they are preparing to eliminate or emasculate the [USPSTF] committee.” 

The USPSTF has long had bipartisan support and is seen as a trusted voice in science-based care. Members are often primary care doctors or academics. They go through conflict-of-interest checks and serve staggered four-year terms to reduce the influence of any one presidential administration, The Times said.

But lately, the task force has faced criticism.

An essay published this week in The American Conservative claimed the panel was part of the “deep state” and accused it of “pushing faulty race and gender ideology on doctors.”

Supporters reject that view. They say the task force’s work is guided strictly by medical science and a rigorous rating system, The Times reported.

Thursday’s canceled meeting was set to focus on preventing heart disease.

It’s not clear yet if Kennedy plans to replace any members of the panel. Even if the group declines to recommend a service, The Times noted, private insurance companies can still choose to cover it.

Still, doctors warn that political interference could hurt patients.

“When something works well and helps inform doctors about how to take care of their patients, to postpone the task force’s work just doesn’t make any sense,” Dr. Bobby Mukkamala, president of the American Medical Association, told The Times.

“This flies in the face of what is good for the country’s health,” he added.

On Wednesday, AcademyHealth, a nonprofit health research group, sent a letter to Congress urging lawmakers to protect the task force from political interference.

More than 100 health organizations signed the letter, which said the panel's advice is based on science and “radical transparency.”

Dr. Aaron Carroll, president of AcademyHealth, noted that the task force was created under former President Ronald Reagan, a Republican. It has included members appointed by both Republicans and Democrats.

“The task force is a model of what it looks like when science directly informs care,” he said. “Every administration has the ability to change the flavor of the USPSTF. But it has to be done in the correct way.”

More information

Learn more about the role of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force.

SOURCE: The New York Times, July 10, 2025