Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has dismissed the two chairs of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force whose recommendations determine what insurance covers with no additional charge for millions of Americans.
Kennedy dismissed panel chairs Esa Davis and John Wong in May 11 letters obtained by NOTUS.
Kennedy wrote the early terminations weren’t related to Davis’ and Wong’s performance but instead “to help protect the Task Force and preserve confidence in the continuity and durability of its work.”
Kennedy has called the panel “lackadaisical and negligent” to Congress without offering specifics. The move puts more power in the hands of a political appointee at the Department of Health and Human Services, who can replace the panel’s leaders with handpicked members.
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The task force’s 16 volunteer members review research to make recommendations on what preventive services — like screenings for cancer, depression and osteoporosis — health insurers must cover without charging patients a copay.
They typically serve four-year terms and are selected by the head of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality in consultation with the panel’s leaders. The current head of AHRQ is Roger Klein, who is a molecular pathologist and attorney.
“He now has consolidated power and there are no chairs to consult with,” said a source familiar with the panel’s work.
Kennedy has been undercutting the task force over the last year by indefinitely postponing its three annual meetings and allowing seats to remain unfilled. The panel hasn’t met since March 2025.
He told Congress in April he would appoint new members to the panel “with a clear mission” but didn’t detail what he meant by that. HHS has been soliciting new members for the task force and the deadline to submit nominations is Saturday.
Davis’ and Wong’s dismissals leave eight remaining members on the panel. Six members had rolled off naturally over the past six months — including a third chair — and Kennedy hasn’t nominated anyone to replace them.
HHS didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment on the dismissals.
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