After more than a year of turmoil — including four cancelled meetings and the abrupt firing of both vice chairs in May 2026 — HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has appointed eight new members to the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF), restoring the panel to its full 16-member capacity. The new appointees span a range of specialties, including cardiology, gastroenterology, radiology, family medicine, pediatric hematology-oncology, and health insurance policy. Seth Corey, MD, MPH, a pediatric hematologist-oncologist at the Cleveland Clinic, will serve as chair.

Kennedy has long been critical of the USPSTF, calling it "lackadaisical and negligent" during a congressional hearing earlier this year. His overhaul of the panel mirrors his earlier — and legally contested — restructuring of the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). The USPSTF, created in 1984, plays a critical role in shaping insurance coverage for preventive services under the Affordable Care Act.

Key Takeaways:

• The USPSTF had not met in over a year, leaving dozens of preventive care recommendations stalled or unfinished — including a finalized cervical cancer screening guideline.
• Critics warn that new members lack the task force's traditional grounding in primary care and evidence-based preventive medicine, raising concerns about future recommendation quality.
• The panel's guidance directly determines what preventive services insurers must cover at no cost to patients under the ACA.

Why it matters: The USPSTF's recommendations shape the preventive care millions of Americans receive — and what their insurance covers. Rebuilding its membership is a necessary first step, but experts caution that without restoring rigorous, transparent evidence review processes, the panel's 40-year legacy of trusted guidance may be at risk.