House Passes Bill to Reduce ACO Reporting Burden – The House of Representatives passed the Health Care Efficiency through Flexibility Act (H.R. 5347) by voice vote on Monday. The bipartisan legislation, introduced by Rep. Vern Buchanan (R-Fla.), would permit a wider variety of quality measure reporting methods for Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) through 2029, including the currently in-place electronic Clinical Quality Measures (eCQMs). The bill also clarifies data completeness requirements and creates a digital quality measure pilot program.
Ways and Means Advances Hospital Transparency Legislation – The House Ways and Means Committee advanced the Tax-Exempt Hospital Transparency Act (H.R. 9504) on Wednesday. The legislation, sponsored by Rep. Greg Murphy, MD (R-N.C.), would require tax exempt hospitals to report more details on income, charity care expenditures, advertising, community benefits, and quality improvement. Consideration of the bill by the Committee was previously delayed due to pushback from the hospital industry.
HELP Expected to Consider CDC Director, Surgeon General Nominees This Month – The Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee is expected to hold confirmation hearings for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director nominee Erica Schwartz, MD, JD, MPH and surgeon general nominee Nicole Saphier, MD sometime this month, according to a committee spokesperson. HELP Committee Chair Bill Cassidy, MD has expressed support for both nominees, who are considered more conventional picks than some of the Trump administration’s prior candidates for the positions. Dr. Schwartz’s required ethics and financial disclosure paperwork have already been posted by the Office of Government Ethics, while Dr. Saphier’s are not yet available.
China Panel Questions Companies Conducting Clinical Trials in China – The House Select Committee on China has written to Pfizer, AbbVie, Merck, Eli Lilly, and Bristol Meyers Squibb about clinical trials being conducted in China. Chairman John Moolenaar (R-Mich.) requests information on company standards for the conduct of such clinical trials, data on the number of trials conducted in China, details on the due diligence process for protecting IP and sensitive data, and a list of all licensing, equity, or joint venture deals with Chinese biotechnology companies. Responses are requested by July 17.
Dept. of Education Expands List of Professional Degrees – The Department of Education has announced a new list of degrees that qualify as professional degrees under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act’s (OBBBA) new caps on borrowing limits for graduate and professional degree programs. The original rule, which was recently blocked by a federal judge for violating the Administrative Procedure Act, included just 11 professional degrees, excluding certain graduate level clinical programs – such as nursing, physician assistant, occupational therapy, and physical therapy. The new definition includes 29 fields. The administration has clarified that the expanded list is intended only to facilitate implementation of the Court’s order, but may change as litigation proceeds. Under the OBBBA caps, students pursuing professional degrees can borrow up to $50,000 a year and $200,000 total, while those in graduate programs can borrow up to $20,500 annually and $100,000 total. The new caps went into effect on July 1.
New ACIP Charter – The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently posted a new charter for the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). The document broadens the qualifications for individuals to serve on the panel, stating that members should “represent a balanced range of scientific, clinical, and public health expertise relevant to the Committee’s mission.” It would also delegate management and support of ACIP from the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases to the CDC Office of the Chief of Staff and the CDC director, as well as modify the composition of the committee’s liaison membership. A federal judge recently blocked U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s attempt to reconstitute ACIP with his own membership selections. Some critics have characterized the new charter as an attempt to sidestep the court ruling.
DeGette Defeated in CO Primary – Rep. Diana DeGette (D-Colo.) was defeated in the Colorado Democratic primary for the state’s 1st congressional district last week. Rep. DeGette was first elected to the House of Representatives in 1996. She currently serves as ranking member of the Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health and co-chair of the House Diabetes Caucus. DeGette was an original author of the 2016 landmark law the 21st Century Cures Act, and has been a champion of progressive health causes – supporting Medicare for All and access to abortion – during her time in Congress. She conceded the race to democratic socialist Melat Kiros, a lawyer.
Upcoming Congressional Hearings and Markups
Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Personnel hearing to receive testimony on the Tricare Pharmacy Program; 2:30 p.m.; July 15
Recently Introduced Health Legislation
H.R.9533 — To amend the VA MISSION Act of 2018 to require the publication of certain information regarding staffing and vacancies in the Veterans Health Administration, and for other purposes. Sponsor: Vindman, Eugene Simon [Rep.-D-VA-7]; Committees: House – Veterans’ Affairs
H.R.9532 — To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to prohibit group health plan payment clawbacks in certain circumstances. Sponsor: Torres, Ritchie [Rep.-D-NY-15]; Committees: House – Ways and Means; Energy and Commerce
H.R.9531 — To direct the Secretary of Defense to conduct a report on testing for helicobacter pylori for members of the Armed Forces, and for other purposes. Sponsor: Smith, Christopher H. [Rep.-R-NJ-4]; Committees: House – Armed Services
H.R.9525 — To amend title 18, United States Code, to limit the ability to assess a fee for health care services for prisoners, and for other purposes. Sponsor: Norton, Eleanor Holmes [Del.-D-DC-At Large]; Committees: House – Judiciary
H.R.9524 — To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to seek to enter into a memorandum of understanding with the Secretary of Health and Human Services and to provide for coordination between the Secretaries in the administration of the Veterans Community Care Program and certain health plans under the Medicare program, and for other purposes. Sponsor: Murphy, Gregory F. [Rep.-R-NC-3]; Committees: House – Veterans’ Affairs; Ways and Means; Energy and Commerce
H.R.9518 — To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to allow contributions to a health savings account when a spouse has a health flexible spending account. Sponsor: LaHood, Darin [Rep.-R-IL-16]; Committees: House – Ways and Means
H.R.9515 — To amend the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to require the use of multi-factor authentication to access certain information through healthcare.gov. Sponsor: Grothman, Glenn [Rep.-R-WI-6]; Committees: House – Energy and Commerce
H.R.9513 — To direct the Secretary of Education to carry out a grant program to support the integration of school-based health services into community schools, and for other purposes. Sponsor: García, Jesús G. “Chuy” [Rep.-D-IL-4]; Committees: House – Education and Workforce; Energy and Commerce
H.R.9510 — To direct the Under Secretary of Veterans Affairs for Health to make publicly available all national policies of the Veterans Health Administration. Sponsor: Dexter, Maxine [Rep.-D-OR-3]; Committees: House – Veterans’ Affairs
H.R.9509 — To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act and title XXVII of the Public Health Service Act with respect to the coverage of kidney disease education services under Medicare and private health insurance. Sponsor: DelBene, Suzan K. [Rep.-D-WA-1]; Committees: House – Energy and Commerce; Ways and Means
H.R.9504 — Tax Exempt Hospital Transparency Act – To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to establish additional reporting requirements for hospital organizations, and for other purposes. Sponsor: Murphy, Gregory F. [Rep.-R-NC-3]; Committees: House – Ways and Means
H.R.9502 — To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to seek to enter into a memorandum of understanding with the Secretary of Health and Human Services to avoid duplicative, improper, or erroneous billings or payments for hospital care and medical services furnished under the laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs. Sponsor: Bresnahan, Robert P. [Rep.-R-PA-8]; Committees: House – Veterans’ Affairs; Ways and Means; Energy and Commerce
H.Res.1397 — Expressing support for the designation of June 28, 2026, as “Community is Stronger than Cancer Day”. Sponsor: Wasserman Schultz, Debbie [Rep.-D-FL-25]; Committees: House – Energy and Commerce
H.Res.1396 — Expressing support for the designation of the month of June 2026 as “National Post-Traumatic Stress Awareness Month” and June 27, 2026, as “National Post-Traumatic Stress Awareness Day”. Sponsor: Peters, Scott H. [Rep.-D-CA-50]; Committees: House – Armed Services; Veterans’ Affairs
H.R.9561 — To direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to conduct a study on the feasibility of developing an accurate and reliable standardized test for detecting tuberculosis in tissue from a human cadaver, and for other purposes. Sponsor: Moolenaar, John R. [Rep.-R-MI-2] ; Committees: House – Energy and Commerce
H.R.9559 — To accelerate the development of, and access to, psychedelic drugs that could save lives and reverse the crisis of serious mental illness in the United States, and for other purposes. Sponsor: Luttrell, Morgan [Rep.-R-TX-8]; Committees: House – Energy and Commerce; Judiciary; Veterans’ Affairs
H.R.9551 — To provide for civil monetary penalties for violations of mental health parity requirements. Sponsor: Kean, Thomas H. [Rep.-R-NJ-7]; Committees: House – Education and Workforce
H.R.9547 — To direct the Secretary of Defense to submit to Congress a report on emerging investigational treatment options for treatment-resistant post-traumatic stress disorder in veterans, members of the Armed Forces, and members transitioning to civilian life, and for other purposes. Sponsor: Hamadeh, Abraham J. [Rep.-R-AZ-8]; Committees: House – Armed Services
H.R.9544 — To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to ensure appropriate payments under Medicare Advantage, and for other purposes. Sponsor: Doggett, Lloyd [Rep.-D-TX-37]; Committees: House – Ways and Means; Energy and Commerce; Veterans’ Affairs
H.R.9542 — To repeal the Medicaid-related portions of An Act to provide for reconciliation pursuant to title II of H. Con. Res. 14. Sponsor: Boyle, Brendan F. [Rep.-D-PA-2]; Committees: House – Energy and Commerce; Ways and Means
H.R.9538 — To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to establish coverage for certain residential substance use disorder services under the Medicare program. Sponsor: Underwood, Lauren [Rep.-D-IL-14]; Committees: House – Ways and Means
H.Res.1404 — Recognizing the 250th Anniversary of the United States and reaffirming the importance of prevention, public health, and access to healthcare. Sponsor: Dingell, Debbie [Rep.-D-MI-6]; Committees: House – Energy and Commerce
H.Res.1403 — Expressing the sense of Congress that Medicaid is an important lifeline for the health care of millions of Americans. Sponsor: Boyle, Brendan F. [Rep.-D-PA-2]; Committees: House – Energy and Commerce
H.Res.1402 — Supporting the goals and ideals of Alzheimer’s and Brain Awareness Month. Sponsor: Barragán, Nanette Diaz [Rep.-D-CA-44]; Committees: House – Energy and Commerce