{"id":295,"date":"2026-05-25T20:37:24","date_gmt":"2026-05-25T20:37:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/?p=295"},"modified":"2026-05-25T20:37:24","modified_gmt":"2026-05-25T20:37:24","slug":"rfk-jr-terminates-heads-of-preventive-services-task-force-amid-overhaul","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/?p=295","title":{"rendered":"RFK Jr. terminates heads of preventive services task force amid overhaul"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<div>\n<p>\n            US Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. quietly removed the two top leaders of a key preventive services panel last week as he seeks to overhaul its membership.\n    <\/p><p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/?p=291\">Trump seeks redemption in Cuba after his regime-change failure in Iran<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\n            The US Preventive Services Task Force determines what preventive care \u2013 such as mammograms and colonoscopies \u2013 Americans can receive at no cost. But it has not met for more than a year, and half of the 16 seats are unfilled.\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            The unusual move comes as the administration is seeking new members for the task force, and its leaders would typically be involved in the vetting process. Their removal has raised concerns of political interference as Kennedy seeks to wield more influence over HHS\u2019s panels of independent experts.\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            The secretary has repeatedly accused the panel of poor performance.\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            \u201cThat task force has been lackadaisical. It\u2019s not been doing its job,\u201d he told a House committee last month. \u201cIf it had been doing its job, we would have early screening for Alzheimer\u2019s.\u201d\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            At another House hearing last month, Kennedy said he is adding new members \u201cwho have a clear mission,\u201d without providing further details.\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            Drs. John Wong of Tufts Medical Center and Esa Davis of the University of Maryland School of Medicine received letters from Kennedy that said the action stemmed from a review of current appointments to task force. Wong and Davis served as chair and vice chair, respectively.\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            \u201cThe Department is taking this step to help protect the Task Force and preserve confidence in the continuity and durability of its work,\u201d said the letter, which has been viewed by CNN.\n    <\/p>\n<div>\n<header>\n<span>\n      Related article\n    <\/span>\n<\/header>\n<section>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Katherine Esdale, a breast imaging technologist at the Helen F. Graham Center, conducts a 3-D mammogram using a tomosynthesis machine made by Hologic. The machine's core technology is made at Hologic's plant near Glasgow.\rKatherine Esdale, a breast imaging technologist at the Helen F. Graham Center, conducts a 3-D mammogram in February using a tomosynthesis machine made by Hologic. The machine's core technology is made at Hologic's plant near Glasgow, Del.\" class=\"wp-image-294\" height=\"144\" src=\"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/106a7b68e257ad6257b2afb71e1d68fc.jpg\" width=\"256\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<span>Katherine Esdale, a breast imaging technologist at the Helen F. Graham Center, conducts a 3-D mammogram using a tomosynthesis machine made by Hologic. The machine&#8217;s core technology is made at Hologic&#8217;s plant near Glasgow.\rKatherine Esdale, a breast imaging technologist at the Helen F. Graham Center, conducts a 3-D mammogram in February using a tomosynthesis machine made by Hologic. The machine&#8217;s core technology is made at Hologic&#8217;s plant near Glasgow, Del.<\/span>\n<\/div>\n<figcaption>Jennifer Corbett\/Delaware News-Journal\/USA Today Network\/Imagn Images<\/figcaption>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p>\n<span>The task force that shapes Americans\u2019 preventive care has not met in a year. Doctors now worry it\u2019s being \u2018abandoned\u2019 by HHS<\/span>\n<\/p>\n<div>6  min read<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<p>\n            The leaders were removed \u201cto avoid uncertainty that could jeopardize the validity of future Task Force actions,\u201d according to the letter, which did not specify what the risks are.\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            The appointment of the task force members was an issue in a legal challenge at the US Supreme Court last year in a case that could have upended the panel\u2019s more recent recommendations. The justices ruled 6-3 that Kennedy and his predecessor in the Biden administration had the ability to name the experts who sit on the panel.\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            Asked for comment, an HHS spokesperson referred to the letters.\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            Both Wong and Davis are applying to be reappointed to the panel, Wong told CNN. But they were told they could not reapply to be chairs.\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            \u201cBoth of us have volunteered thousands of hours to review the latest scientific research and help develop evidence-based recommendations,\u201d he said in an email. \u201cWe are deeply committed to supporting the hundreds of thousands of primary care clinicians and the millions of patients nationwide who count on our recommendations to save and keep healthy as many lives as possible.\u201d\n    <\/p><p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/?p=279\">Should you worry about the Ebola outbreak? Here\u2019s what the numbers tell us<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\n            The terminations undermine the transparent, rigorous and apolitical way the task force has operated since its establishment in 1984, said Dr. Aaron Carroll, CEO of the nonprofit AcademyHealth, a national organization for health services and policy researchers. The panel\u2019s value stems from thorough and nonpartisan review of scientific evidence, not from any particular set of conclusions, he said.\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            \u201cThat, again, is not how you build trust and not how you build consistency and a belief the system is functioning as it should,\u201d Carroll said.\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            The American Medical Association said it is \u201cextremely concerned\u201d by the removal of Wong and Davis.\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            \u201cWe strongly urge HHS to restore the USPSTF\u2019s long-standing, transparent process for selecting members, specifically clinicians with expertise in the fields of preventive medicine and primary care,\u201d Dr. Bobby Mukkamala, the association\u2019s president, said in a statement.\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            The group also implored HHS to resume holding task force meetings \u201cto ensure its important work can continue without further delay. Our patients\u2019 lives depend on it.\u201d\n    <\/p>\n<h2>\n        Adding specialists to panel\n<\/h2>\n<p>\n            Kennedy is currently seeking nominations for the panel, with the new members expected to start serving in July. The deadline to apply is Saturday.\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            But the secretary intends to change the makeup of the task force beyond primary care doctors. In a notice published last month in the Federal Register, HHS encouraged specialists such as anesthesiologists, cardiologists, oncologists, radiologists and obstetricians to consider serving.\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            The change has raised concerns among some former panel members and other experts who say specialists may not have the needed breadth of knowledge. The task force evaluates evidence across 92 topics, including cancer screening, behavioral counseling, chronic disease prevention and maternal health.\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            The task force recommends screenings for cancer, diabetes, heart diseases, sexually transmitted infections and other preventive care. Its work has a direct impact on millions of people\u2019s wallets: Insurers must cover preventive services that get an A or B grade from the panel at no cost to patients, thanks to the Affordable Care Act.\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            The task force\u2019s shakeup comes after Kennedy overhauled the agency\u2019s highest-profile vaccine advisory group, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention\u2019s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. Kennedy, a longtime vaccine skeptic, replaced all of the committee\u2019s members last year.\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            The new panel voted to abandon universal hepatitis B vaccination for newborns; placed restrictions on a combination shot that protects against chickenpox as well as measles, mumps and rubella; and took the unprecedented step of not universally recommending Covid-19 vaccinations, instead saying the choice should be based on conversations with a healthcare provider.\n    <\/p><p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/?p=267\">Trump\u2019s second term is increasingly about one thing: Trump<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>US Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. quietly removed the two top leaders of a key preventive services panel last week as he seeks to overhaul its membership.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":292,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-295","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>RFK Jr. terminates heads of preventive services task force amid overhaul - Relocation Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/?p=295\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"RFK Jr. terminates heads of preventive services task force amid overhaul - Relocation Times\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"US Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. 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