One year after overhauling a key group of vaccine advisers, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is poised to put his stamp on another critical health panel, one whose recommendations determine which screenings millions of Americans can get for free.
The Department of Health and Human Services is preparing to announce eight new members of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force and plans to let the group meet in late August, according to a notice sent out last Thursday and confirmed Monday by HHS.
It will be the group’s first meeting in 17 months, after the administration canceled four prior meetings, ousted two of the task force’s vice chairs in May and didn’t replace other members as their terms expired. Normally composed of 16 experts, the task force has shrunk by half in recent months.