In this edition of the Situation Report, we highlight how we are mobilizing the field to protect the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) from political and ideological interference in the aftermath of the Braidwood case with a letter to Congress joined by 104 other health organizations. We are focused on maintaining the Task Force’s integrity to ensure continued trust among clinicians, patients, and policymakers and ensuring that decisions made around preventative care are evidence-based and nonpartisan. Read more on additional actions impacting the federal workforce, care delivery, and research, as well as other resources to help you navigate these changes, including a members-only Town Hall, an opportunity to share your story, and more.
In today’s issue:
- AcademyHealth Leads Push to Protect the USPSTF Following Supreme Court Ruling
- SCOTUS Decision Paves Way for Trump’s Federal Job Cuts
- Feds Examine Hospitals’ Religious Objections to Providing Gender-Affirming Care
- New AcademyHealth Resource to Help Researchers Communicate to Build Trust
- Have You Lost Access to Critical Health Data? Share Your Story with Us
- ICYMI Members-Only Town Hall: Navigating Today’s Health Policy and Research Landscape
AcademyHealth Leads Push to Protect the USPSTF Following Supreme Court Ruling
In light of the recent Kennedy v. Braidwood ruling from the Supreme Court, AcademyHealth and strategic partners are mobilizing to advocate for the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF). The Supreme Court ruling maintained the constitutionality of the Task Force and granted the Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary explicit authority to appoint and dismiss members of the Task Force as well as the ability to supervise the recommendations they produce. Kennedy has demonstrated his willingness to exercise such authority in his recent mass-firing of all the members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practice (ACIP), leaving many concerned that the Task Force may soon face a similar fate. Yesterday, that concern was heightened by the Secretary suddenly cancelling a routine USPSTF deliberation scheduled for today.
In response to these concerns, AcademyHealth and the Friends of AHRQ crafted a sign-on letter urging Congress to protect the current structure and operations of USPSTF, emphasizing its scientific independence, transparency, and nonpartisan approach to issuing evidence-based preventive care recommendations. The letter stresses that maintaining the Task Force’s integrity is essential to ensuring continued trust among clinicians, patients, and policymakers, and how any political interference could harm public health by undermining access to lifesaving, cost-effective preventive services. Over 100 health organizations, from patient groups, researchers, providers, hospitals and health systems, universities, and more, signed on to this letter, reflecting the broad benefit and essential value of the Task Force and their evidence-based recommendations.
In addition to mobilizing the field, AcademyHealth elevated this issue in national media, securing coverage in several top outlets. "Protecting the USPSTF is essential to maintaining public trust in its guidance," AcademyHealth President and CEO Aaron Carroll told Fierce Healthcare in an interview. "This protection ensures continued access to cost-free life-saving preventive services for patients, and unfortunately, political interference, as we've seen in the last few weeks or months, and as we may see again, could undermine the task force's vital role in improving health outcomes nationwide.”
See below for a sampling of stories:
- Axios: RFK Jr. HHS ACA USPSTF Meeting
- USA Today: RFK Jr. postpones USPSTF meeting. What could that mean?
- STAT: Kennedy abruptly cancels U.S. Preventive Services Task Force meeting
- CNN: Kennedy cancels USPSTF expert panel meeting
- MedPage Today: Washington Watch – USPSTF Meeting Canceled
- Fierce Healthcare: RFK Jr. cancels USPSTF meeting; healthcare orgs urge Congress to protect expert panel
- The Hill: HHS’ Kennedy cancels USPSTF meeting
Our ability to respond swiftly and credibly reflects our unique position at the intersection of research, policy, and public discourse. When the evidence base is under threat, AcademyHealth serves as a trusted voice—amplifying the concerns of the research community and championing the role of science in decision-making.
Help us continue this vital work.
Make a donation today here or by texting AcademyHealth to 44-321 to receive a secure donation link. Your support strengthens the field, protects evidence-informed policymaking, and advances better health for everyone.
SCOTUS Decision Paves Way for Trump’s Federal Job Cuts
The Supreme Court has ruled that the Trump administration can move forward with plans to fire tens of thousands of federal workers, detailed in a February executive order. The layoffs, originally blocked by a federal judge, may resume while litigation continues, as the Court noted they were not assessing the legality of any agency’s layoff plans or any moves taken thus far to implement layoffs. The temporary injunction, now overturned, had prohibited most major federal agencies from developing reorganization plans, issuing new RIF notifications, or executing any RIFs. The sole court member to record a dissent, Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, noted that her colleagues were inappropriately reinterpreting the lower court’s findings and that appeals courts are supposed to adhere to a lower court’s conclusions about disputed facts. The cities, counties, and federal worker unions who brought the suit said in a statement that the ruling jeopardizes services that Americans rely on.
Feds Examine Hospitals’ Religious Objections to Providing Gender-Affirming Care
Federal health officials have launched investigations into health systems in what legal experts see as an effort to back providers refusing care to transgender patients. One such investigation targets the University of Michigan Health system over a former employee's claim that her termination was due to a request to abstain from providing gender-affirming care on the grounds of a religious exemption. The Trump administration says this is the third action in a broader effort to bolster and protect conscience and religious exercise laws and their application in medical settings. According to legal experts, these probes are the first time HHS is applying these amendments, also known as the Church Amendments, in a way that would allow medical providers to refuse providing gender-affirming care or disregard gender identities. The amendments are typically only used to permit refusals to perform abortions or sterilizations.
Since the original case in Michigan was dismissed by a U.S. District Judge, HHS initiated its own investigation under the Church Amendments. Implications are heightened for a health system in a federal investigation than in a civil suit as federal funding could be at risk. HHS taking this case publicly puts health systems in a tight spot navigating both antidiscrimination laws and now magnified provider exemptions and part of a pattern of anti-LGBT actions by the Trump administration.
New AcademyHealth Resource to Help Researchers Communicate to Build Trust
With credibility under attack and distrust and politicization running rampant, today’s researchers must learn how to navigate this landscape to build trust through evidence. AcademyHealth’s newest course, Communicating to Build Trust, was designed to meet this need, empowering researchers not to shy away from public communication, but to confidently make a meaningful impact.
The course includes self-paced instructional videos, live virtual sessions, and expert-led content on media engagement, social media strategy, and data visualization. Participants also receive customizable templates, practical tools, and opportunities for small-group, peer-to-peer learning—making this course a timely and valuable resource for the field.
Fill out the interest form to receive updates as soon as registration is available.
Have You Lost Access to Critical Health Data? Share Your Story with Us.
AcademyHealth is part of a federal lawsuit seeking to restore access to important public health data that was removed or altered by recent federal actions. We already have a strong legal case, but personal stories from researchers, clinicians, and public health professionals about how these data losses have impacted your work and communities can make it even stronger.
If you or your colleagues have been affected, please share your experience to help us show the real-world harm and push for the restoration of these vital resources.
ICYMI Members-Only Town Hall: Navigating Today’s Health Policy and Research Landscape
Join us for an exclusive AcademyHealth members-only town hall with President and CEO, Aaron Carroll, Director of Advocacy, Josh Caplan, and Senior Vice President of Policy and Advocacy at the nonpartisan, nonprofit advocacy alliance, Research!America, Ellie Dehoney. The town hall provides members with critical insights into the policy and funding challenges shaping the health services and health policy research field. Participants will discover advocacy strategies and resources to navigate the current environment. This interactive session offers a unique opportunity to connect with peers, share experiences, and engage in open dialogue with AcademyHealth leadership.
Date and Time: Wednesday, July 16, 2025 | 12:00p.m. to 1:00p.m. ET
Register Now: AcademyHealth Town Hall Meeting | AcademyHealth
Previous Updates
This is the latest in a series of Situation Report updates from AcademyHealth. You can find prior issues here.
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