The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, an expert panel that provides clinical preventive health recommendations to Congress, has been at the center of several leadership and policy-related conflicts so far in 2026.
Here are five things to know about where the task force stands now:
1. HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. removed the two vice-chairs of the USPSTF May 21. John Wong, MD, and Esa Davis, MD, led the task force. The group assigns grades to preventive services, which private health insurance covers without cost-sharing under the ACA.
2. According to documents obtained by Becker’s, the leaders were subject to a review under revised governance procedures, and the terminations did not stem from performance issues. The change comes just ahead of a May 23 nomination deadline for new members, and both are still able to apply.
3. The task force’s meetings have been consistently postponed for the last yearwith its most recent meeting in March 2025. Last month, Mr. Kennedy said the volunteer group had been “lackadaisical and negligent” for two decades, adding it will meet more often than the planned three times per year.
4. Bobby Mukkamala, MD, president of the American Medical Association, voiced concerns over the leaders’ removal in a news release shared with Becker’s May 21.
“Today’s changes were foreshadowed by the earlier dismantling of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices,” Dr. Mukkamala said in the release. “We strongly urge HHS to restore the USPSTF’s long-standing, transparent process for selecting members, specifically clinicians with expertise in the fields of preventive medicine and primary care. We also implore HHS to commit to once again holding regular Task Force meetings to ensure its important work can continue without further delay. Our patients’ lives depend on it.”
5. The Society for Heart Attack Prevention and Eradication called for major changes to the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force in a letter to Mr. Kennedy in January. The coalition of physicians, scientists and public health leaders criticized the task force for recommendations that lag “far behind contemporary science and real-world clinical needs,” according to the letter. SHAPE said future appointees should have experience with early disease detection, digital health tools, and a willingness to challenge outdated practices.
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