Overview

• The justices ruled 6-3 that USPSTF members are “inferior officers” lawfully appointed by the HHS secretary, validating the panel’s structure under the Constitution’s Appointments Clause.
• The decision secures no-cost coverage of preventive services such as cancer screenings, diabetes tests and HIV-prevention drugs for roughly 150 million insured Americans.
• Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s opinion affirms that HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. can remove task force members at will and review or block their recommendations.
• The lawsuit began in 2020 when Christian-owned businesses challenged the requirement to cover PrEP on religious grounds, but the Supreme Court addressed only the appointments question.
• Claims over religious objections and the vetting of new recommendations have been remanded to lower courts, where further proceedings will unfold under the panel’s clarified oversight.