May 20, 2026
Contact: Mary Clare Toomey, Vice President of Communications
Email: mtoomey@apg.org
Phone: (202) 322-9729
WASHINGTON, DC – The dismissal by U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., of the two leaders of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF), coupled with an effort to recruit new members, shows that the Secretary is following through on his misguided efforts to remake the task force without being transparent about his real intentions, America’s Physician Groups said today.
As APG noted last year when the Secretary first signaled an overhaul of the task force, APG member organizations are committed to being held accountable for the quality and costs of health care. The provision of evidence-based preventive services is core to delivering the value-based, accountable care that is APG’s mission. Yet the Secretary has not clarified whether a remade task force will continue to undertake science-based reviews of the evidence on preventive interventions.
In addition, APG believes strongly that the Affordable Care Act requirement that health insurers cover any preventive services that receive A or B ratings from the USPSTF with no cost sharing by individuals has been a reliable means of increasing uptake of these important services. Having robust evidence behind preventive screenings is especially important, for example, at a time when high-cost screenings of indeterminate value for cancers and other conditions are proliferating. It is not clear that the Secretary seeks to preserve the ability of USPSTF to issue credible ratings of the evidence that the health care ecosystem can rely upon.
As HHS leaders have recently said, trust is key to the effective functions of government and no more so than with respect to health and health care. APG continues to be highly troubled by the lack of transparency about why the dismissal of the task force leaders was warranted; who may be considered for future appointments to the task force; and whether future task force members will have the academic, clinical, and policy expertise to evaluate the scientific evidence behind preventive interventions and understand how to provide them appropriately in clinical settings. With the health of millions of Americans at stake – and the need for affordable, high quality health care as important as ever — the nation deserves a far greater level of clarity, transparency, and trust.
About America’s Physician Groups
APG’s more than 300 physician groups comprise roughly 260,000 physicians and other clinicians providing care to nearly 90 million patients, including an estimated 1 in 4 Americans and 1 in 3 Medicare Advantage enrollees. APG’s motto, ‘Taking Responsibility for America’s Health,’ represents our members’ commitment to clinically integrated, coordinated, value-based health care in which physician groups are accountable for the costs and quality of patient care. Visit us at www.apg.org.
