RFK Jr. – Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has fired the heads of a federal advisory panel tied to Americans’ preventive care, including no-cost services under the Affordable Care Act. The move follows a disputed run of meetings and warnings fro
For weeks, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force had operated in the background—quietly shaping what preventive care Americans could receive with insurance coverage at no cost. Then the emails began, and the appointments ended immediately.
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. fired leaders of the federal advisory panel responsible for making recommendations on preventative care for Americans. according to confirmation from an HHS official who was not authorized to speak publicly. Letters were sent to at least two head members of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force to notify them that their current appointment would end effective immediately.
The firings arrive amid an ongoing clash inside the health bureaucracy. CDC director Susan Monarez was ousted after differing vaccine policies with Kennedy. The broader dispute now touches the task force that helps decide which preventive services are covered at no cost to patients under the Affordable Care Act—cancer screenings. testing for sexually transmitted infections. mental health screenings. and important medications.
The timing also matters because it follows a stalled stretch of meetings. Nearly a year after USPSTF members were notified by email that an in-person meeting scheduled for July 10. 2025 was postponed. dozens of medical groups sent a letter to leaders of the Senate Committee on Health. Education. Labor and Pensions urging Congress to preserve the task force’s procedures and duties.
“It is critical that Congress protects the integrity of the USPSTF from intentional or unintentional political interference,” the letter said. It was signed by the American Medical Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics, among others.
The task force typically meets three times a year. but it has not met since March 2025. according to a recent report from CNN. An HHS spokesperson. Andrew Nixon. told CNN in an email in March that the task force’s first meeting of the year was postponed and “will be rescheduled in the coming months.”.
The sequence places the same pressure point in the spotlight: when preventive-care decisions are delayed. the governing panel doesn’t just sit idle—it becomes vulnerable to scrutiny. and then to abrupt personnel changes. The controversy now stretches from the vaccine policy conflict that led to Susan Monarez’s ouster to the sudden end of leadership roles tied to USPSTF recommendations.
As these appointments end effective immediately. questions turn to what happens next for a panel that plays a central role in how preventive medicine is translated into insurance coverage across the country. With the task force’s meeting schedule already disrupted since March 2025. the firings raise the stakes for when— and under what rules—USPSTF recommendations will move forward.
RFK Jr. USPSTF U.S. Preventive Services Task Force HHS CDC Susan Monarez preventive care Affordable Care Act insurance coverage cancer screenings sexually transmitted infections testing mental health screenings Senate Committee on Health Education Labor and Pensions American Medical Association American Academy of Pediatrics Andrew Nixon