RFK Junior Plans to Dismiss Cancer Screening Panel Due to Perceived Progressiveness
In a move that could significantly impact public health guidelines, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), is actively vetting new members to replace the current U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF).
The USPSTF, operating under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, plays a critical role in issuing evidence-based recommendations on preventive services—such as cancer screenings and vaccinations—that insurers must cover without cost-sharing under the Affordable Care Act.
The Supreme Court recently confirmed the HHS secretary's authority to oversee, remove, and veto USPSTF membership and recommendations, confirming that USPSTF members are constitutionally "inferior officers" under his jurisdiction. This ruling paves the way for Kennedy's planned overhaul of the panel to include members more aligned with his health policy agenda, dubbed "Make America Healthy Again."
The potential impact on public health guidelines could be significant. An overhaul reflecting Kennedy's policies could shift these recommendations, possibly diverging from established scientific consensus. This possibility has raised concern among major medical organizations, including the American Medical Association (AMA), which urges retaining the panel’s non-partisan structure to preserve evidence-based clinical guidance and avoid politicization.
The USPSTF's members are voluntary outside experts who review evidence and weigh in on various preventive health topics. However, recent reports suggest that Kennedy plans to remove all 16 members of the USPSTF, allegedly because they are considered "too woke."
Notably, Kennedy unilaterally fired all 17 members of the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) in early June, cancelling the ACIP's next scheduled meeting prior to his reshuffling of the committee. The new ACIP, restocked with people friendly to Kennedy's worldview, recently recommended against people taking vaccines containing the preservative thimerosal.
Thimerosal has been linked to autism by antivaxxers, but evidence since the early 2000s has failed to show any link between thimerosal (or vaccines in general) and autism. Despite this, Kennedy and HHS accepted the ACIP's recommendation to recommend against thimerosal-containing vaccines last week.
As of late July 2025, the exact fate of the USPSTF is still undetermined, according to the HHS. However, the medical community, including the AMA and other groups, has pleaded with Kennedy to restart the USPSTF's meetings and to leave its current iteration as is.
An essay published in The American Conservative called for Kennedy to kill the USPSTF, citing it as an "instrument of social justice" and its "advocacy of left-wing ideological priors." This article was updated to include remarks from HHS, stating that no final decision has been made on how the USPSTF can better support HHS' mandate to "Make America Healthy Again."
In summary:
- RFK Jr. is vetting new members to replace the current USPSTF, with plans to overhaul the panel to include members more aligned with his agenda.
- The Supreme Court confirmed the HHS secretary’s power to remove members and review recommendations.
- The potential impact on guidelines could be significant, with concerns about politicization and impact on evidence-based health care.
- Major medical organizations, including the AMA, urge retaining the panel’s non-partisan structure.
- The USPSTF's members are voluntary outside experts who review evidence and weigh in on various preventive health topics.
- The exact fate of the USPSTF is still undetermined, according to the HHS.
- Recent objections from the right wing of the government towards the USPSTF appear to be ideological.
- The future of the USPSTF remains uncertain as Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), is actively vetting new members to replace the current USPSTF, with plans to overhaul the panel to include members more aligned with his health policy agenda.
- The technology of science and health-and-wellness is at the center of this debate, as the potential impact on public health guidelines could be significant, with concerns about politicization and impact on evidence-based health care.
- In a move that could significantly influence policy-and-legislation and politics, the Supreme Court recently confirmed the HHS secretary’s power to remove USPSTF members and review recommendations, paving the way for Kennedy's planned overhaul of the panel.
- The tech sector, including major medical organizations such as the American Medical Association (AMA), urges retaining the panel’s non-partisan structure to preserve evidence-based clinical guidance and avoid politicization, citing the USPSTF's role in issuing evidence-based recommendations on preventive services.
- As debates about the role of science, technology, and gizmodo in health and mental-health continue, an essay published in The American Conservative has called for Kennedy to kill the USPSTF, citing it as an "instrument of social justice" and its "advocacy of left-wing ideological priors."
