Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. fired Dr. John Wong, co-chair of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, and left the panel with eight unfilled seats. Wong and former chair Dr. Michael Silverstein received a terse letter citing the need to protect the task force's integrity. The panel shapes preventive care guidelines for millions of Americans, and its recommendations drive what insurers cover without co-pays.

Kennedy had been undermining the task force for months before the firings. He postponed all three scheduled meetings, blocked new work on topics including cervical cancer screening, and accused the panel of being lackadaisical. A Supreme Court ruling last year affirmed that health secretaries can remove task force members at will, a precedent Silverstein and Wong feared would be exploited.

The real risk goes beyond staffing. Task force guidelines on cancer screenings and H.I.V. prevention medication save tens of thousands of lives annually and determine billions in insurance coverage. A politically influenced panel could roll back evidence-based recommendations or promote unproven treatments. Eight vacancies mean the body lacks quorum, and Kennedy now controls appointments without expert input. Kennedy and AHRQ director Roger Klein should face congressional questioning over these dismissals.