U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. appointed eight new members to the 16-member U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, the panel that recommends which preventive services insurers must cover without cost sharing. The task force has seen multiple postponed meetings and leadership changes over the past year, and a June Supreme Court ruling affirmed Kennedy Jr.'s authority over the panel. HHS has not announced the date of the next meeting.
Kennedy Jr. Appoints Eight Experts to U.S. Preventive Services Task Force Amid Leadership Shake-Up
FILE PHOTO: U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. speaks during an event on screen time harm in children at the Department of Health and Human Services in Washington, D.C., U.S., September 1, 2026. REUTERS/Evan Vucci/File Photo
Sept 17 (Reuters) - U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Thursday named eight new members to the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, the independent advisory panel that recommends which preventive medical services should be provided to patients at no cost under most health insurance plans.
The 16-member task force, which typically meets three times a year to review evidence and issue recommendations, last convened about a year ago after a string of postponed meetings and leadership changes.
Kennedy Jr. has reshaped several federal health advisory bodies, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's vaccine advisory committee, which he replaced after dismissing the panel last year. In June, a U.S. Supreme Court decision affirmed Kennedy Jr.'s authority over the preventive services committee.
U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. speaks at the Republican National Midterm Convention in Dallas, Texas, U.S., September 10, 2026. REUTERS/Brian Snyder
Planned meetings have been disrupted over the past year: the task force missed a scheduled November meeting following the Supreme Court ruling because of a 2025 government shutdown, another meeting set for July was abruptly canceled, a March meeting was postponed, and the department removed the task force's chair and vice chair in May.
The Department of Health and Human Services did not provide a date for the panel's next meeting when contacted by Reuters.
New Appointees
- Seth Corey — Pediatric Hematologist-Oncologist
- Patrick Hunter — Pediatrician
- Ronald Karlsberg — Cardiovascular Specialist
- Stephen Parente — Health Finance Expert
- Venkatesh Murthy — Professor of Preventive Cardiology
- Goldie Stands-Over-Bull — Family Medicine Physician
- Louis Wilson — Gastroenterology Specialist
- Dennis Wulfeck — Diagnostic Radiologist
The task force issues recommendations on preventive services such as routine breast cancer screening and medications to prevent HIV infection. Those recommendations guide which services insurers must cover without cost sharing under most federal rules. The volunteer panel is supported by the Department of Health and Human Services' Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), which provides research and administrative backing.
Why it matters: Changes to the task force's membership and leadership, combined with delayed meetings, could affect the timing and content of future preventive care recommendations that influence coverage and clinical practice nationwide.
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