The Department of Health and Human Services, through the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, has appointed eight new members to the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, the independent panel whose recommendations determine which screenings and preventive services private insurers must cover without cost-sharing under federal law.
HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced the appointments in an opinion piece, framing the move as an effort to broaden the clinical expertise behind the Task Force’s decisions rather than a wholesale purge of its membership.
The new appointees bring backgrounds in pediatrics, oncology, cardiology, radiology, gastroenterology, family medicine, health economics and clinical research. According to Kennedy, they include:
- Dr. Seth Corey, who will chair the Task Force, with 41 years of experience treating children and young adults and expertise in cancer and blood disorders
- Dr. Patrick Hunter, a pediatrician of 34 years with experience implementing clinical guidelines in rural communities
- Dr. Ronald Karlsberg, who has provided cardiovascular care for 48 years
- Dr. Venkatesh Murthy, an expert in preventive cardiology, medical imaging and artificial intelligence applications
- Dr. Goldie Stands-Over-Bull, a family medicine physician providing comprehensive care to Native American patients across the lifespan
- Dr. Louis Wilson, with nearly three decades of experience in gastroenterology, hepatology, clinical nutrition, and disease prevention
- Dr. Dennis Wulfeck, a diagnostic radiologist of 33 years
- Dr. Stephen Parente, whose three decades of research focus on health policy and health care delivery
Kennedy noted that eight members appointed during the Biden administration will continue serving alongside the new appointees, saying HHS opted for reform rather than replacing the entire panel. He wrote that this approach was meant to preserve institutional knowledge while adding new clinical perspective.
Kennedy said the Task Force will remain scientifically independent, with HHS not dictating its conclusions. The panel will continue evaluating evidence on screenings, counseling and preventive medications, and its A or B recommendations continue to carry the weight of federal law requiring coverage without patient cost-sharing.
Kennedy argued that adding specialists across disciplines strengthens the scrutiny applied to preventive medicine evidence.
“Our goal is not to determine what the Task Force concludes. Our goal is to strengthen the expertise applied to the evidence, so Americans can have confidence in how the Task Force reaches its conclusions,” Kennedy wrote.
He also referenced claims made last year that he intended to dismiss the Task Force’s entire membership, saying HHS instead chose to keep the previously appointed members in place.
