Appropriations Update – The House Committee on Appropriations advanced its fiscal year (FY) 2026 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (LHHS) spending bill in a 35-28 party line vote last week. The spending bill includes a total of $108 billion for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), a 6% – or $7 billion – cut compared to FY 2025. The House Republican package falls between the $116.6 billion for HHS proposed by Senate appropriators and the President’s budget request of $94.7 billion. The House spending proposal would reduce funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to $48 billion – a decrease of $456 million, or 1%, compared to FY 2025. Funding for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) would be reduced by $1.7 billion – or 19% – for a total of $7.4 billion. The Committee provided a total of $7.1 billion for the Health Resources and Services Administration, $866 million – or 11% – below FY 2025 levels. The Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health would see a 37%, or $500 million, funding cut. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration would see a $298 million cut, to $7.1 billion.
During the 12-hour marathon markup, the panel adopted several health-related amendments. An en bloc amendment from Rep. Robert Aderholt (R-Ala.) would curb studies for medical treatments that alter the human body to no longer correspond to its biological sex, and asks the CDC to investigate physician-assisted suicide. An amendment from Rep. Lois Frankel (D-Fla.) would block funds for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services from being used to implement the Wasteful and Inappropriate Service Reduction (WISeR) Model. An amendment from Rep. Susie Lee (D-Nev.) would extend grants that support certain continuing medical education grant programs through 2028. The manager’s amendment approved by the committee expressed support for investigating the pharmacy benefit manager industry and restricting animal research at the NIH.
Prior to markup, the committee released its report to accompany the bill. The report language details the wide range of issues considered by lawmakers in drafting the spending measure, and includes a list of the programs retained that the White House had proposed to eliminate in the President’s budget. It also notes that “any large-scale [NIH] restructuring proposal remains under the jurisdiction of the Committee on Energy and Commerce. The Committee recommendation for fiscal year 2026 reflects the NIH structure under current law. The Committee looks forward to Congress continuing to work with the Administration regarding innovative ideas at the National Institutes of Health.”
Lawmakers must pass funding legislation by September 30 to avoid a government shutdown. Congress is expected to rely on a continuing resolution (CR) to extend funding at current levels beyond the end of the fiscal year. Appropriations Chairman Tom Cole (R-Okla.) has stated that he hopes the House of Representatives will vote on a clean stopgap spending bill this week.
Democrats are threatening to block any stopgap spending bill that does not include extension of enhanced advanced premium tax credits. The COVID-era Affordable Care Act subsidies allow families with incomes of more than 400% of the poverty line to cap their premiums at 8.5% of income. While some Republicans support extending the subsidies, which are set to expire at the end of this year, GOP leadership in both chambers have stated that the CR will be free of any policy riders, and that negotiations on an extension should not be linked to the government funding deadline. Marketplace enrollees will begin receiving notifications of the premium increases that will result from expiration of the credits in November. Republicans will need at least seven Democratic votes in the Senate to pass government funding legislation.
House Passes Aviator Mental Health Legislation – The House of Representatives passed the Mental Health in Aviation Act (H.R. 2591) last week by voice vote. The legislation would require the Federal Aviation Administration to update regulations to encourage airline pilots and aviation workers to disclose and seek help for mental health conditions. It would also authorize $13.7 million annually from fiscal year 2026 through 2028 to recruit additional aviation medical examiners and to clear the Office of Aerospace Medicine’s case backlog, and $1.5 million for public awareness campaigns on mental health in the aviation industry.
E&C Subcommittee Advances Public Health Reauthorization Bills – The House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health advanced a slate of public health reauthorization bills in a markup last week. All seven bills were favorably reported to the full committee by voice vote:
- R. 4262, To reauthorize programs related to health professions education
- R. 3593, Title VIII Nursing Workforce Reauthorization Act
- R. 2493, Improving Care in Rural America Reauthorization Act
- R. 3419, To amend the Public Health Service Act to reauthorize the telehealth network and telehealth resource centers grant programs
- R. 3302, Healthy Start Reauthorization Act
- R. 2846, To amend title II of the Public Health Service Act to include as an additional right or privilege of commissioned officers of the Public Health Service (and their beneficiaries) certain leave provided under title 10, United States Code to commissioned officers of the Army (or their beneficiaries)
- R. 4709, Newborn Screening Saves Lives Reauthorization Act
Ways and Means Republicans Urge Full Implementation of NSA – Republicans on the House Committee on Ways and Means have sent a letter to the Trump administration urging full implementation and enforcement of the No Surprises Act (NSA). The letter highlights key provisions of the NSA that “were either not implemented at all or not implemented fairly due to convoluted rulemaking,” including measures to increase patient access to advanced explanation of benefits and cost estimates before scheduled medical procedures, and to ensure an efficient independent dispute resolution process. The NSA, which was signed into law nearly five years ago, aimed to provide patient protections against surprise medical bills for certain out-of-network care. “We look to this administration to continue building on the work done by the committee to prioritize necessary regulatory and sub-regulatory improvements so patients can realize the full potential and benefits of the NSA,” the lawmakers state.
Spotlight on 340B Drug Pricing Program – A bipartisan group of lawmakers has sent a letter to HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. urging him to abandon the 340B Rebate Model Pilot Program or to put in place guardrails to protect the underlying 340B program. The pilot program would require covered entities to purchase drugs on the Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Selected Drug List at the wholesale acquisition cost, which the letter points out will require 340B providers to “float significant amounts of cash to drug companies in hopes of a rebate being paid.” “We continue to believe that the rebate approach contravenes congressional intent in establishing the 340B program and over three decades of precedent set by the Health Resources and Services Administration that distinguishes rebates and retroactive discounts from upfront 340B discounts,” the lawmakers write. The letter was signed by 163 members of the House of Representatives.
In related news, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released a new report examining growth in the 340B program. The report details how health care facilities participating in the Prime Vendor Program spent $43.9 billion on 340B drugs in 2021, up from $6.6 billion in 2010. Spending on cancer drugs accounted for 41% of purchases through the program, almost three times the amount spent on any other drug class. CBO estimates that one-third of the increase in spending in the program from 2010 to 2021 can be attributed to trends in market wide growth in drug spending and disproportionate growth among drug classes that account for more spending in the 340B program than in the overall market. In CBO’s assessment, the 340B program encourages behaviors—like the prescription of more and higher-priced drugs, the expansion of services, and the integration of hospitals and off-site clinics—that tend to increase federal spending.
Reps. Buddy Carter, BSPharm (R-Ga.) and Dianna Harshbarger, PharmD (R-Tenn.) introduced legislation last week that aims to ensure 340B is reaching the patients the drug pricing program was intended to serve. The 340B Affording Care for Communities and Ensuring a Strong Safety-Net Act (340B ACCESS Act) would:
- Establish patient affordability requirements for medicines;
- Codify the definition of a covered entity patient;
- Recognize contract pharmacies in statute and subject them to rules to ensure their use of the program is consistent with congressional intent;
- Establish eligibility requirements for hospitals;
- Establish eligibility requirements for child sites;
- Place restrictions on pharmacy benefit managers, contract pharmacies, and third-party administrators from making excessive profits from the program; and
- Require that grantees report how they are using the 340B margin.
Cassidy Calls on Secretary to Support Whooping Cough Vaccine – Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee Chair Bill Cassidy, MD (R-La.) has sent a letter to HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. asking that he express strong public support for the pertussis vaccine. The bacterial infection known as whooping cough has been on the rise in recent years, with more than 20,000 infections this year alone. These numbers are in line with 2012’s record outbreak, the largest since the vaccine was introduced in 1991. “Your strong public support for this vaccine will save lives. Your words are a powerful tool in protecting the health of the American people. Families responded to your decisive leadership when you clearly promoted the MMR vaccine to stop the outbreak in West Texas. They would respond again to your call that the DTaP vaccine is the best way to protect our babies,” Cassidy wrote.
Texas Republican Michael McCaul Will Not Seek Reelection – Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas) announced that he will not seek reelection to Congress after serving 11 terms in the House of Representatives. McCaul was first elected in 2004. He currently sits on the Foreign Affairs and Homeland Security committees. During his time in Congress, he has been a champion of cancer research and founded the Childhood Cancer Caucus.
GAO Recommends Greater Transparency in NCD Process – Republican leadership of the House Energy and Commerce Committee and the Ways and Means Committee are calling for greater transparency into national coverage determinations (NCDs) following the release of a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report on the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ (CMS) NCD process. While the GAO found that CMS met the specified time frames for making determinations 83% of the time, the agency does not systematically identify the causes of delays when specified time frames are not met. GAO recommends that CMS identify the causes of NCD delays to better ensure that analyses are finalized within specified time frames, and that CMS make available to the public the criteria it uses to prioritize its coverage analyses. “Seniors should never be left waiting without clear answers about whether Medicare will cover the treatments and services their doctors recommend,” said Chairmen Brett Guthrie (R-Ky.) and Jason Smith (R-Mo.). “Greater openness in the NCD process is essential to ensure trust, timely access to care, and confidence that decisions are being made fairly and consistently.”
E&C Democrats Question CDC Director’s Termination – Democratic leadership of the House Energy and Commerce Committee have sent a letter to HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. regarding the recent firing of CDC Director Susan Monarez. “Dr. Monarez’s abrupt termination and the additional losses of experienced leadership at CDC through resignations and reductions in force severely diminish the agency’s ability to serve its mission to protect the health and safety of the nation and respond to emerging public health threats,” the lawmakers wrote. “You are using your position as Secretary to promote the ideological anti-vaccine agenda you have led for decades, and your attacks against the people and programs at CDC push vaccines farther out of reach for many families and put all Americans’ health at risk.” The letter poses a series of questions about the events that led to Dr. Monarez’s termination and requests a response by September 25.
Monarez and Dr. Debra Houry, former Chief Medical Officer and Deputy Director for Program and Science at CDC, are scheduled to appear before the Senate HELP Committee on Wednesday for a hearing entitled, “Restoring Trust Through Radical Transparency: Reviewing Recent Events at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Implications for Children’s Health.” The HELP Committee plans to hear from current HHS officials at a future hearing.
MAHA Commission Releases Strategy Report – The Presidential Commission to Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) released its strategy report on Tuesday. The Commission was established by an executive order signed by President Donald Trump in February. The MAHA Commission’s first report, which was released in May, examined the root causes of chronic disease among children. The final report unveiled last week outlines strategies to respond to those root causes. It includes nearly 130 recommendations. The key focus areas of the strategy include:
- Restoring Science and Research: Expanding research into chronic disease prevention, nutrition and metabolic health, food quality, environmental exposures, autism, gut microbiome, precision agriculture, rural and tribal health, vaccine injury, and mental health.
- Historic Executive Actions:Reforming dietary guidelines; defining ultra-processed foods; improving food labeling; closing the GRAS loophole; raising infant formula standards; removing harmful chemicals from the food supply; increasing oversight and enforcement of direct-to-consumer prescription drug advertising laws; improving food served in schools, hospitals, and to veterans; and reforming Medicaid quality metrics to measure health outcomes.
- Process Reform and Deregulation: Streamlining organic certification; easing barriers to farm-to-school programs and direct-to-consumer sales; restoring whole milk in schools; supporting mobile grocery and processing units; modernizing drug and device approval; and accelerating approvals for innovative agricultural products.
- Public Awareness and Education: Launching school-based nutrition and fitness campaigns, Surgeon General initiatives on screen time, prioritizing pediatric mental health, and expanding access to reliable nutrition and health information for parents.
- Private Sector Collaboration:Promoting awareness of healthier meals at restaurants, soil health and land stewardship, and community-led initiatives, and scaling innovative solutions to address root causes of chronic disease.
President Signs Memorandum on Direct-to-Consumer Prescription Drug Advertisements – President Donald Trump signed a memorandum on Tuesday aimed at providing greater transparency and accuracy in prescription drug advertisements. The memo directs the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to increase the amount of information regarding any risks associated with the use of prescription drugs. The Food and Drug Administration is also directed to take action to enforce legal requirements that advertisements for prescription drugs be truthful and not misleading. White House officials told reporters that the administration plans to send approximately 100 cease-and-desist enforcement letters and thousands of warning letters alerting companies of the government’s plans to enforce current regulations around direct-to-consumer advertising.
Upcoming Congressional Hearings and Markups
House Veterans’ Affairs Subcommittee on Technology Modernization Oversight hearing “Advancing VA Care Through Artificial Intelligence;” 3:00 p.m.; September 15
House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Oversight hearing “Virtue Signaling vs. Vital Services: Where Tax-Exempt Hospitals are Spending Your Tax Dollars;” 2:00 p.m.; September 16
Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Counterterrorism hearing “Examining the Harm of AI Chatbots;” 2:30 p.m.; September 16
Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee hearing “Restoring Trust Through Radical Transparency: Reviewing Recent Events at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Implications for Children’s Health;” 10:00 a.m.; September 17
House Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee on Cybersecurity, Information Technology, and Government Innovation hearing “Shaping Tomorrow: The Future of Artificial Intelligence;” 2:00 p.m.; September 17
Senate Special Committee on Aging hearing “Prescription for Trouble: Drug Safety, Supply Chains, and the Risk to Aging Americans;” 3:30 p.m.; September 17
Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs hearing “Strengthening Services for Veterans with Spinal Cord Injury and Disorder;” 4:00 p.m.; September 17
House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health hearing “Examining Policies to Enhance Seniors’ Access to Breakthrough Medical Technologies;” 9:30 a.m.; September 18
Recently Introduced Health Legislation
S.Res.376 — A resolution recognizing suicide as a serious public health problem, expressing support for the designation of September 8, 2025, as “988 Day” and the role of 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline; Sponsor: Booker, Cory A. [Sen.-D-NJ]; Committees: Senate – Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
S.2730 — A bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to improve access to innovative treatment options for end-stage renal disease under the Medicare program, and for other purposes; Sponsor: Blackburn, Marsha [Sen.-R-TN]; Committees: Senate – Finance
H.Res.680 — Recognizing suicide as a serious public health problem, expressing support for the designation of September 8, 2025, as ”988 Day” and the role of 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, and for other purposes; Sponsor: Bell, Wesley [Rep.-D-MO-1]; Committees: House – Energy and Commerce
H.R.5178 — To amend title XIX of the Social Security Act to enable State Medicaid programs to provide comprehensive, coordinated care through a health home to individuals with sickle cell disease; Sponsor: Dunn, Neal P. [Rep.-R-FL-2]; Committees: House – Energy and Commerce
H.R.5197 — To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to limit cost sharing for drugs under the Medicare program; Sponsor: Malliotakis, Nicole [Rep.-R-NY-11]; Committees: House – Energy and Commerce; Ways and Means
H.R.5198 — To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to maintain standards for qualification as a rural health clinic under the Medicare program; Sponsor: Mann, Tracey [Rep.-R-KS-1]; Committees: House – Energy and Commerce; Ways and Means
H.R.5199 — To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to modernize physician, physician assistant, and nurse practitioner utilization requirements; Sponsor: Mann, Tracey [Rep.-R-KS-1]; Committees: House – Energy and Commerce; Ways and Means
H.R.5202 — To address maternity care shortages and promote optimal maternity outcomes by expanding access to birth centers and exploring more effective payment models for birth center care, and for other purposes; Sponsor: Morrison, Kelly [Rep.-D-MN-3]; Committees: House – Energy and Commerce
H.R.5217 — To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to remove certain limitations on the delivery of behavioral health services at rural health clinics under the Medicare program; Sponsor: Tokuda, Jill N. [Rep.-D-HI-2]; Committees: House – Energy and Commerce; Ways and Means
S.Res.378 — A resolution supporting the designation of the week of September 8 through September 12, 2025, as “Malnutrition Awareness Week”; Sponsor: Murphy, Christopher [Sen.-D-CT]; Committees: Senate – Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry
S.Res.380 — A resolution urging the protection of Medicare from the devastating cuts caused by H.R. 1; Sponsor: Whitehouse, Sheldon [Sen.-D-RI]; Committees: Senate – Finance
S.2737 — A bill to require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to implement a pilot program to furnish hyperbaric oxygen therapy to certain veterans through community care providers, and for other purposes; Sponsor: Tuberville, Tommy [Sen.-R-AL]; Committees: Senate – Veterans’ Affairs
S.2739 — A bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to promote healthy eating and physical activity among children; Sponsor: Booker, Cory A. [Sen.-D-NJ]; Committees: Senate – Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
S.2743 — A bill to amend title XIX of the Social Security Act to modify certain limitations on disproportionate share hospital payment adjustments under the Medicaid program, and for other purposes; Sponsor: Banks, Jim [Sen.-R-IN]; Committees: Senate – Finance
S.2745 — A bill to require the Secretary of Defense to provide to firefighters of the Department of Defense medical testing and related services to detect and prevent certain cancers; Sponsor: Slotkin, Elissa [Sen.-D-MI]; Committees: Senate – Armed Services
S.2749 — A bill to exempt Medicare from any sequestration under Statutory PAYGO that is caused by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act; Sponsor: Whitehouse, Sheldon [Sen.-D-RI]; Committees: Senate – Budget
H.Res.686 — Supporting the designation of the week of September 14, 2025, through September 20, 2025, as “Telehealth Awareness Week”; Sponsor: Carter, Earl L. “Buddy” [Rep.-R-GA-1]; Committees: House – Energy and Commerce
H.Res.685 — Expressing support for testing for antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) as a standard part of prenatal screening, and for other purposes; Sponsor: Cammack, Kat [Rep.-R-FL-3]; Committees: House – Energy and Commerce
H.Res.684 — Expressing support for the designation of September 9, 2025, as “National Firearm Suicide Prevention Day” to educate about the growing firearm suicide crisis in the United States and promote the importance of storing firearms safely and securely as an essential component of suicide prevention; Sponsor: Brownley, Julia [Rep.-D-CA-26]; Committees: House – Energy and Commerce
H.Res.683 — Supporting the designation of the week of September 8 through September 12, 2025, as “Malnutrition Awareness Week”; Sponsor: Bonamici, Suzanne [Rep.-D-OR-1]; Committees: House – Energy and Commerce; Agriculture; Ways and Means; Education and Workforce
H.R.5239 — To amend the Public Health Service Act to expand research and education with respect to endometrial cancer, and for other purposes; Sponsor: Scott, David [Rep.-D-GA-13]; Committees: House – Energy and Commerce
H.R.5228 — To amend title XIX of the Social Security Act to remove a limitation on payments for certain home or community-based services waivers under the Medicaid program; Sponsor: Dingell, Debbie [Rep.-D-MI-6]; Committees: House – Energy and Commerce
H.R.5224 — To amend the Public Health Service Act to promote healthy eating and physical activity among children; Sponsor: Cohen, Steve [Rep.-D-TN-9]; Committees: House – Energy and Commerce
S.2751 — A bill to authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to collect registration fees from members of the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network, and for other purposes; Sponsor: Wyden, Ron [Sen.-D-OR]; Committees: Senate – Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
S.2756 —A bill to amend title XXVII of the Public Health Service Act, the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, and the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 to reduce patient cost-sharing for prescription drug inhaler products used to treat breathing disorders such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and for other purposes; Sponsor: Alsobrooks, Angela D. [Sen.-D-MD]; Committees: Senate – Finance
S.2759 — A bill to enhance our Nation’s nurse and physician workforce by recapturing unused immigrant visas; Sponsor: Durbin, Richard J. [Sen.-D-IL]; Committees: Senate – Judiciary
S.2760 — A bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide hereditary cancer genetic testing for individuals with a history of a hereditary cancer gene mutation in a blood relative or a personal or ancestral history suspicious for hereditary cancer, and to provide coverage of certain cancer screenings or preventive surgeries that would reduce the risk for individuals with a germline (inherited) mutation associated with a high risk of developing a preventable cancer; Sponsor: Murkowski, Lisa [Sen.-R-AK]; Committees: Senate – Finance
S.2761 — Reforming and Enhancing Sustainable Updates to Laboratory Testing Services (RESULTS) Act – A bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide long-term stability for Medicare beneficiary access to clinical diagnostic laboratory tests by improving the accuracy of, and feasibility of data collection for, the private payor-based fee schedule payment rates applied under the Medicare program for such tests, and for other purposes; Sponsor: Tillis, Thomas [Sen.-R-NC]; Committees: Senate – Finance
S.2762 — A bill to establish a commission on long-term care; Sponsor: Rosen, Jacky [Sen.-D-NV]; Committees: Senate – Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
H.Res.693 — Expressing support for the designation of September 9 as “National African Immigrant and Refugee HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis Awareness Day” or “NAIRHHA Day”; Sponsor: Johnson, Henry C. “Hank” [Rep.-D-GA-4]; Committees: House – Energy and Commerce
H.Res.694 — Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services should halt the pilot program and should not jeopardize seniors’ access to critical health care by utilizing artificial intelligence to determine Medicare coverage; Sponsor: Landsman, Greg [Rep.-D-OH-1]; Committees: House – Ways and Means; Energy and Commerce
H.Res.697 — Recognizing suicide as a serious public health problem and expressing support for the designation of September as “National Suicide Prevention Month” as well as September 10, 2025, as “World Suicide Prevention Day”; Sponsor: Thanedar, Shri [Rep.-D-MI-13]; Committees: House – Energy and Commerce
H.R. 5243 — To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to increase data transparency for supplemental benefits under Medicare Advantage; Sponsor: McClellan, Jennifer L. [Rep.-D-VA-4]; Committees: House – Ways and Means; Energy and Commerce
H.R.5252 — To amend the 21st Century Cares Act to clarify that certain grants for State and Tribal response to opioid use disorders may be used for certain activities related to public access opioid overdose reversal kits, and for other purposes; Sponsor: Amo, Gabe [Rep.-D-RI-1]; Committees: House – Energy and Commerce
H.R.5256 — To amend the Public Health Service Act to reform the 340B drug pricing program, and for other purposes; Sponsor: Carter, Earl L. “Buddy” [Rep.-R-GA-1]; Committees: House – Energy and Commerce; Ways and Means
H.R.5259 — To authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to collect registration fees from members of the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network, and for other purposes; Sponsor: Costa, Jim [Rep.-D-CA-21]; Committees: House – Energy and Commerce
H.R.5261 — To amend title 38, United States Code, to modify the limitation on reimbursement for emergency treatment of amounts owed to a third party or for which the veteran is responsible under a health-plan contract; Sponsor: Dingell, Debbie [Rep.-D-MI-6]; Committees: House – Veterans’ Affairs
H.R.5269 — To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide long-term stability for Medicare beneficiary access to clinical diagnostic laboratory tests by improving the accuracy of, and feasibility of data collection for, the private payor-based fee schedule payment rates applied under the Medicare program for such tests, and for other purposes; Sponsor: Hudson, Richard [Rep.-R-NC-9]; Committees: House – Energy and Commerce; Ways and Means
H.R.5275 — To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to include blood contamination as a hospital acquired condition under the Medicare program; Sponsor: Kelly, Mike [Rep.-R-PA-16]; Committees: House – Ways and Means
H.R.5278 — To amend title XXVII of the Public Health Service Act, the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, and the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 to reduce patient cost-sharing for prescription drug inhaler products used to treat breathing disorders such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and for other purposes; Sponsor: Mfume, Kweisi [Rep.-D-MD-7]; Committees: House – Energy and Commerce; Ways and Means; Education and Workforce
H.R.5281 — To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to establish provider directory requirements, and to provide accountability for provider directory accuracy, under Medicare Advantage; Sponsor: Panetta, Jimmy [Rep.-D-CA-19]; Committees: House – Ways and Means; Energy and Commerce
H.R.5283 —To enhance our Nation’s nurse and physician workforce by recapturing unused immigrant visas; Sponsor: Schneider, Bradley Scott [Rep.-D-IL-10]; Committees: House – Judiciary
S.Res.385 — A resolution recognizing suicide as a serious public health problem and expressing support for the designation of September as “National Suicide Prevention Month”; Sponsor: Tillis, Thomas [Sen.-R-NC]; Committees: Senate – Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
S.2770 — A bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to ensure appropriate cost-sharing for chronic care drugs under Medicare part D; Sponsor: Cornyn, John [Sen.-R-TX]; Committees: Senate – Finance
S.2793 — A bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to require Medicare Advantage plans to cover items and services furnished by certain essential community providers within a service area, and for other purposes; Sponsor: Cassidy, Bill [Sen.-R-LA]; Committees: Senate – Finance
H.Res.704 — Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the Wasteful and Inappropriate Service Reduction Model undermines beneficiary access to health care and should not be implemented; Sponsor: Pocan, Mark [Rep.-D-WI-2]; Committees: House – Ways and Means; Energy and Commerce
H.Res.699 — Expressing support for the designation of September 2025 as “National Polycystic Kidney Disease Awareness Month”, and raising awareness and understanding of polycystic kidney disease; Sponsor: Cleaver, Emanuel [Rep.-D-MO-5]; Committees: House – Energy and Commerce
H.R.5339 — To establish a presumption of service connection for certain diseases associated with exposure to certain toxins at the Pentagon Reservation during certain period beginning on September 11, 2001; Sponsor: Subramanyam, Suhas [Rep.-D-VA-10]; Committees: House – Veterans’ Affairs
H.R.5319 — To prohibit the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and the Department of Health and Human Services from disclosing Medicaid data for law enforcement purposes related to immigration, and for other purposes; Sponsor: Kamlager-Dove, Sydney [Rep.-D-CA-37]; Committees: House – Financial Services; Oversight and Government Reform
H.R.5316 — To amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to ensure patients have access to certain shortage and urgent-use compounded medications, and for other purposes; Sponsor: Harshbarger, Diana [Rep.-R-TN-1]; Committees: House – Energy and Commerce
H.R.5314 — To amend titles XVIII and XIX of the Social Security Act to require a skilled nursing facility to permit without restriction visitation by an individual designated by a resident of such facility under the Medicare and Medicaid programs; Sponsor: Grothman, Glenn [Rep.-R-WI-6]; Committees: House – Ways and Means; Energy and Commerce
H.R.5306 — To prohibit the sale of a firearm unless the firearm or the packaging of the firearm carries a label that provides the number of the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, and for other purposes; Sponsor: Brownley, Julia [Rep.-D-CA-26]; Committees: House – Energy and Commerce
H.R. 5304 — Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2026; Sponsor: Aderholt, Robert B. [Rep.-R-AL-4]; Committees: House – Appropriations