The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) abruptly canceled a scheduled meeting of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, a longstanding nonpartisan body responsible for issuing evidence-based preventive care recommendations, prompting concerns regarding the panel’s future. An HHS spokesperson confirmed that the July 2025 meeting would not proceed as planned. A notice attributed the cancellation to the office of HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., stating that the department intends to continue engaging with the task force to promote public health.
The task force, created in 1984, offers guidance on screenings and counseling services for conditions such as cancer and cardiovascular disease. Its recommendations, supported by the Affordable Care Act, require insurers to cover certain preventive services at no cost to patients. However, Kennedy’s recent actions, including the dismissal and replacement of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s vaccine advisory committee, have fueled speculation that similar changes may be forthcoming for the task force. Several of the new appointees to the vaccine committee have publicly questioned vaccine safety, further heightening concerns about scientific integrity in federal advisory bodies.
The task force operates through systematic and transparent reviews of available evidence. Dr. Aaron Carroll, a pediatrician and CEO of Academy Health, stated that any political interference threatens to erode the group’s credibility and may impact how physicians practice and how insurers define coverage. He cautioned that such actions risk undermining the task force’s apolitical role and could open the door to fringe theories influencing mainstream care.
A Supreme Court decision in June upheld the constitutionality of the task force’s structure, affirming that the HHS secretary has the authority to appoint and remove members. While consumer advocates welcomed the ruling, some emphasized that it grants significant control to Kennedy over the panel’s composition and recommendations.
The canceled meeting, one of the task force’s three annual in-person sessions, was expected to focus on behavioral counseling interventions to prevent cardiovascular disease through diet, physical activity, and weight management. In response to growing concerns, over 100 health organizations have urged congressional leaders to safeguard the task force’s role and independence.
Sources for this article included CNN.