Kennedy Appoints Eight to Revive Preventive Services Panel

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. appointed eight new members to the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force on Sept. 17, 2026, naming Seth Corey chair. "We are strengthening the Task Force to ensure it asks hard questions, follows the evidence wherever it leads, and maintains the highest standards of scientific integrity," Kennedy said. Panel A and B grades trigger no-cost insurance coverage under the ACA, an authority the Supreme Court upheld in June 2025. Kennedy fired vice chairs John Wong and Esa Davis in May 2026, left expired seats unfilled, and the prior chair left; the panel had not met for more than a year. Appointees include specialists and health finance expert Stephen Parente, who has no medical degree. In April Kennedy told a House committee the task force "has been lackadaisical" and "not been doing its job," saying early Alzheimer's screening would exist "if it had been doing its job." AMA President Willie Underwood III said a strong primary care voice "must remain central." AcademyHealth asked how members were chosen and noted AHRQ has lost 80 percent of its workforce and canceled more than 150 research grants. NMAC CEO Harold J. Phillips urged rigorous scientific evidence and said the group will monitor HIV prevention including PrEP.