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Former USPSTF chair Michael Silverstein says the task force completed a cervical cancer screening recommendation in 2025, but AHRQ leadership blocked its publication. He also says canceled meetings prevented a vote on cardiovascular prevention guidance, while the Trump administration has since appointed eight new members. The administration’s reasons for blocking the recommendation and the status of the delayed work remain unclear.
Former U.S. Preventive Services Task Force chair Michael Silverstein says the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality blocked publication of the group’s completed draft recommendation on cervical cancer screening in fall 2025, while canceled meetings prevented members from voting on separate cardiovascular prevention guidance. The allegations raise questions about whether patients and clinicians will have access to updated preventive care recommendations; the account comes from Silverstein’s commentary and has not been independently established in the supplied material.
In a commentary published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, Silverstein, a physician at Brown University, wrote that the task force had drafted a cervical cancer screening recommendation, held a public comment period and incorporated hundreds of comments into a final recommendation. He said the director of AHRQ, the agency that oversees the task force, then blocked it in fall 2025. The source material does not identify the director or describe the reasons given for the decision.
Silverstein also wrote that canceled meetings kept members from voting on a recommendation about preventing cardiovascular disease through healthy lifestyle interventions. He said volunteer members continued meeting virtually each week despite the cancellations. According to his account, the task force had not published a recommendation since July 2025. The annual report the group is required to release also was not issued, the report said.
The task force’s membership and leadership changed during the period. In May, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. fired vice chairs John Wong and Esa Davis, while saying they could reapply. Eight of 16 seats were vacant at that point. Earlier in 2026, Kennedy appointed eight new members, restoring the task force to full strength. Wong and Davis are not among the current members, according to the report.
Delays Could Leave Guidance Outdated
The USPSTF issues recommendations on preventive services that primary care clinicians use when advising patients. Silverstein warned that delays could leave clinicians relying on guidance based on outdated evidence. He also said Americans could lose insurance coverage for effective services if recommendations are not updated. Those are potential consequences he raised; the supplied material does not document specific coverage changes or show which patients have been affected.
The dispute also concerns how an advisory body’s work proceeds when its meetings are canceled and its leadership is replaced. The new roster includes cardiologists, a gastroenterologist, a radiologist, an artificial intelligence specialist and a health insurance expert. American Medical Association President Willie Underwood said the appointments depart from the task force’s usual mix of primary care physicians and preventive medicine experts. The practical effect of that change on future recommendations is not yet known.
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A Year of Meetings and Vacancies
Silverstein wrote that soon after the start of the second Trump administration, Kennedy showed disdain for the task force. Following a March 2025 meeting, Kennedy canceled regular meetings, including those planned for July and November, according to Silverstein’s account. Former members expressed concern in February 2026 that Kennedy might eliminate the group; instead, the next meeting, scheduled for March, was canceled with a promise to reschedule in the coming months.
In April, Kennedy told a House committee the task force had been “lackadaisical and negligent” over the previous 20 years and said he would bring on members with a clear mission. Five members’ terms had expired at the end of 2025 without replacements being appointed, contributing to the vacancies. The eight appointments earlier in 2026 filled the vacant seats, but the task force’s annual report remained unissued in the account provided.
“He called the task force “lackadaisical and negligent” for the last 20 years and said he would be “bringing new members on who have a clear mission.””
— Robert F. Kennedy Jr., speaking to a House committee in April
Reasons and Delayed Work Unclear
The supplied account does not include a response from AHRQ explaining why the cervical cancer screening recommendation was blocked, nor does it identify the official who made the decision. It also does not provide the text of the final recommendation, the details of its evidence review or a new publication date. The administration’s reasoning for canceling meetings and the specific timetable for rescheduling them are not stated.
It remains unclear whether the cardiovascular prevention recommendation will return for a vote, when the annual report will be released, and how the newly appointed members will approach pending work. Silverstein’s account and the AMA’s response describe concerns about the process and roster; they do not establish what effect the changes will have on recommendations or insurance coverage.
Task Force Must Resume Its Work
The next stated step is for the March meeting to be rescheduled in the coming months, as Kennedy had promised, though no date is provided in the source material. The task force is now at full membership after the eight appointments. Whether it will publish the cervical cancer recommendation, vote on cardiovascular prevention guidance or issue its annual report remains to be seen.
Further updates from AHRQ and HHS could clarify the blocked recommendation’s status and the meeting schedule. Until then, the timing and content of any revised USPSTF guidance are unresolved.
Key Questions
What recommendation does Silverstein say was blocked?
He says AHRQ leadership blocked publication of a cervical cancer screening recommendation after the task force completed a draft, gathered public comments and incorporated hundreds of them.
What other task force work was delayed?
Silverstein says canceled meetings prevented members from voting on a recommendation about preventing cardiovascular disease through healthy lifestyle interventions. He also said the task force had not published a recommendation since July 2025.
Who are the new task force members?
Kennedy appointed eight members earlier in 2026, filling the group’s vacant seats. The new roster includes experts in cardiology, gastroenterology, radiology, artificial intelligence and health insurance. The supplied material does not list their names.
Has the administration explained why the cervical cancer recommendation was blocked?
The supplied report does not include an explanation from AHRQ or identify the official who blocked publication. The recommendation’s status and publication timing remain unclear.
Source: rss
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