USPSTF Meeting Canceled Amid Concerns Over Preventive Care Standards

HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has abruptly canceled the July 10 meeting of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF). The USPSTF is unique in that its recommendations directly inform national preventive care standards in ways others don’t—especially regarding insurance coverage under the Patient Protection & Affordable Care Act (ACA).

HealthHIV and the National Coalition for LGBTQ Health view these developments as a direct threat to the stability of preventive care access—particularly for LGBTQ+ communities that rely on ACA protections for services like PrEP, STI screenings, and mental health care.

The cancellation of the USPSTF meeting comes just days after the Supreme Court’s decision in Kennedy v. Braidwood, which upheld the constitutionality of the ACA’s requirement that insurers cover preventive services recommended by the USPSTF without cost-sharing. While the ruling preserves access to services like HIV PrEP (for now), it also affirmed that the Secretary has the authority to appoint and remove USPSTF members.

With no reason given, this cancellation raises real concerns that could signal changes to how federal preventive care guidance is developed going forward, particularly if the panel’s structure or membership is altered, as it was with the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). Those ACIP meeting postponements and ultimately the firings prompted a lawsuit from major medical societies, alleging that HHS Secretary Kennedy’s actions were unlawful and bypassed established scientific processes.

Those changes raise concerns that a similar overhaul of the USPSTF could erode evidence-based guidance and weaken ACA protections for preventive care.