{"id":2271,"date":"2026-08-03T12:40:39","date_gmt":"2026-08-03T12:40:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cms.hhs.com\/?p=2271"},"modified":"2026-08-03T12:42:08","modified_gmt":"2026-08-03T12:42:08","slug":"help-advances-health-nominees-health-data-privacy-bill","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cms.hhs.com\/index.php\/2026\/08\/03\/help-advances-health-nominees-health-data-privacy-bill\/","title":{"rendered":"HELP Advances Health Nominees, Health Data Privacy Bill"},"content":{"rendered":"

HELP Advances Health Nominees, Health Data Privacy Bill \u2013 <\/strong>The Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee advanced the nominations of Erica Schwartz, MD, JD, MPH to be Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Sean Kaufman to be Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response on Thursday. Schwartz was approved in a 13-10 vote, with Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) joining panel Republicans in support of her nomination. Kaufman was advanced in a party line 12-11 vote. Kaufman, who has faced criticism for his past positions on the safety of the Covid-19 and hepatitis B vaccines, secured the support of Chair Bill Cassidy, MD by disavowing his prior remarks and providing reassurances that he would not play a role in setting vaccine policy.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The HELP Committee also marked up the Health Information Privacy Reform Act (S. 3097) on Thursday, advancing the data privacy bill with unanimous support. The legislation would expand health privacy protections to account for new technologies such as smartwatches and health apps. It would require such technologies not currently governed by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act to disclose how consumer information is collected and shared, and create requirements around patient notification in cases of a data leak or security breach.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Administration to Release GAVI Funding \u2013 <\/strong>Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) announced last week that the Trump administration has agreed to release $600 million in congressionally appropriated funding for GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance. GAVI is a global health partnership whose mission is to increase access to vaccines in developing countries. Sen. Collins recently lead outreach by a group of senators urging the Department of State to release the money \u2013 representing approximately 15% of GAVI\u2019s funding – before the money expires at the end of the fiscal year. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has criticized GAVI for using immunizations with ingredients like thimerosal. While GAVI has asserted that thimerosal is safe and necessary in countries that lack the refrigeration resources necessary to prevent bacterial contamination of the vaccines, the organization has also offered a timeline for phasing out shots that contain the preservative and expanding access to newer alternatives.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Senate Releases CR to Prevent Government Shutdown \u2013 <\/strong>On Sunday, the Senate Appropriations Committee leadership released the bipartisan\u00a0Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2027<\/a>\u00a0\u2013 a continuing resolution (CR) to fund the Federal government through December 11, 2026 (one week beyond the House-passed CR). Committee Chair Susan Collins (R-Maine) explained that \u201cThis measure gives Congress the time we need to continue our work on bipartisan appropriations bills\u201d and announced that the agreement \u201cprevents the Office of Management and Budget (OMB)\u2019s proposed rule regarding federal financial assistance from taking effect.\u201d Ranking Member Patty Murray (D-Wash.) noted that they \u201cwere able to produce a much-improved CR to keep the government funded and avert a shutdown that no one wants.\u201d The chamber is expected to take up the short-term government funding measure this week.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

CBO Responds to GOP Concerns Re: Part D Expenditures \u2013 <\/strong>The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has responded<\/a> to a letter from House Energy and Commerce, Budget, and Ways and Means committee leadership regarding its projection of Medicare Part D expenditures. The initial congressional letter specifically concerned technical changes in CBO\u2019s Budget and Economic Outlook: 2026 to 2036 resulting in Medicare Part D spending being $600 billion higher than projected the year prior. In its response, CBO stated that the evidence indicates that the spending reductions attributable to drug price negotiation and inflation rebates have been smaller than CBO originally estimated, explaining \u201cthe costs of the Part D redesign have been significantly larger because of greater-than-anticipated increases in spending because of greater use of prescription drugs.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Wyden Releases Next in Series of Healthcare Policy RFIs \u2013 <\/strong>Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) has released a request for information<\/a> on reforms to improve access, quality, and affordability of healthcare coverage. The RFI is organized by three general focus areas: (1) reversing Republican cuts and reimagining a better path, (2) making healthcare simpler for families, and (3) taking on corporate greed. Sen. Wyden, alongside 16 Democratic colleagues, is seeking feedback on a range of policy proposals, including lowering premiums and deductibles, expanding coverage options with Medicare-like choices for all, simplifying enrollment, ending insurance company practices that delay and deny care, and eliminating business tactics used by health care corporations to increase costs. Similar to other healthcare related RFIs issued by Wyden in recent months, the policies outlined in the document could inform the Democratic agenda should the party regain control of one or both chambers of Congress next year.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

 <\/p>\n

Upcoming Congressional Hearings and Markups<\/strong><\/p>\n

Senate Finance Subcommittee on Health Care hearing \u201cBuilding a Resilient Health Care Future with Biotechnology;\u201d 10:00 a.m.; August 4<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Senate Budget Committee hearing \u201cMedicaid: The Reality;\u201d 10:00 a.m.; August 4<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Senate Judiciary Committee hearing \u201cPrescribing Sunshine: How Competition & Transparency Lowers Prescription Drug Costs;\u201d 10:15 a.m.; August 4<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Recently Introduced Health Legislation<\/strong><\/p>\n

S.5134 \u2014 A bill to establish a Green New Deal for\u00a0Health\u00a0to prepare and empower\u00a0the\u00a0health\u00a0care sector to protect\u00a0the health\u00a0and well-being of our workers, our communities, and our planet in\u00a0the\u00a0face of\u00a0the\u00a0climate crisis, and for other purposes; Sponsor: Markey, Edward J. [Sen.-D-MA]; Committees: Senate –\u00a0Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

S.5137 \u2014 A bill to direct\u00a0the\u00a0Secretary of\u00a0Health\u00a0and Human Services, acting through\u00a0the\u00a0Administrator of\u00a0the\u00a0Health Resources and Services Administration, to establish a grant program to be known as\u00a0the\u00a0Mental\u00a0Health\u00a0Licensure Portability Program to award grants to eligible entities, and for other purposes; Sponsor: King, Angus S., Jr. [Sen.-I-ME]; Committees: Senate –\u00a0Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

H.Res.1462 \u2014 Recognizing\u00a0the\u00a0historic significance of Medicare\u00a0on\u00a0the\u00a061st anniversary of its enactment; Sponsor: Mackenzie, Ryan [Rep.-R-PA-7]; Committees: House – Ways and Means; Energy and Commerce<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

H.R.9948 \u2014\u00a0To direct\u00a0the\u00a0President to establish an interagency task force to review, and provide recommendations\u00a0on,\u00a0the\u00a0impact of addictive design features\u00a0on\u00a0youth mental\u00a0health, to direct\u00a0the\u00a0Secretary of\u00a0Health\u00a0and Human Services to establish grant programs to support\u00a0the activities of\u00a0the\u00a0task force, and for other purposes; Sponsor: Balint, Becca [Rep.-D-VT-At Large]; Committees: House – Energy and Commerce; Education\u00a0and Workforce<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

H.R.9962 \u2014 To establish a Green New Deal for\u00a0Health\u00a0to prepare and empower\u00a0the\u00a0health\u00a0care sector to protect\u00a0the health\u00a0and well-being of our workers, our communities, and our planet in\u00a0the\u00a0face of\u00a0the\u00a0climate crisis, and for other purposes; Sponsor: Khanna, Ro [Rep.-D-CA-17]; Committees: House – Energy and Commerce; Ways and Means; Science, Space, and Technology<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

H.R.9970 \u2014 To amend title XVIII of\u00a0the\u00a0Social Security Act to ensure appropriate payments for ambulance services under\u00a0the\u00a0Medicare program; Sponsor: Pfluger, August [Rep.-R-TX-11]; Committees: House – Energy and Commerce; Ways and Means<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

H.R.9972 \u2014 To amend title XVIII of\u00a0the\u00a0Social Security Act to adjust payment for skin substitute products under\u00a0the Medicare program; Sponsor: Sessions, Pete [Rep.-R-TX-17]; Committees: House – Energy and Commerce; Ways and Means<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

S.5164 \u2014 A bill to amend titles XVIII and XIX of\u00a0the\u00a0Social Security Act to make improvements relating to\u00a0the\u00a0designation of rural emergency hospitals; Sponsor: Moran, Jerry [Sen.-R-KS]; Committees: Senate \u2013 Finance<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

S.5166 \u2014\u00a0A bill to amend\u00a0the\u00a0Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to strengthen requirements related to nutrient information\u00a0on\u00a0food labels, and for other purposes; Sponsor: Blumenthal, Richard [Sen.-D-CT]; Committees: Senate –\u00a0Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

S.5172 \u2014 A bill to amend titles XI, XIX, and XXI of\u00a0the\u00a0Social Security Act with respect to screening for childhood-onset fluency disorders, and to require coverage of certain speech\u00a0therapy services under Medicaid and CHIP; Sponsor: Banks, Jim [Sen.-R-IN]; Committees: Senate \u2013 Finance<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

S.5180 \u2014\u00a0A bill to amend title XVIII of\u00a0the\u00a0Social Security Act to ensure stability for provider payments under\u00a0the\u00a0Medicare program; Sponsor: Boozman, John [Sen.-R-AR]; Committees: Senate \u2013 Finance<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

S.5193 \u2014 A bill to amend\u00a0the\u00a0Public\u00a0Health\u00a0Service Act to expand\u00a0the\u00a0capacity to improve\u00a0health\u00a0outcomes and increase access to specialized care; Sponsor: Schatz, Brian [Sen.-D-HI]; Committees: Senate –\u00a0Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

S.5202 \u2014 A bill to prohibit\u00a0the\u00a0use of Federal funds for gender transition\u00a0for minors; Sponsor: Lee, Mike [Sen.-R-UT]; Committees: Senate –\u00a0Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

H.R.9981 \u2014 To prohibit reductions in force or other staffing reductions for certain Centers of Disease Control and Prevention\u00a0divisions, and for other purposes; Sponsor: Gottheimer, Josh [Rep.-D-NJ-5]; Committees: House – Energy and Commerce<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

H.R.9984 \u2014 To amend title XVIII of\u00a0the\u00a0Social Security Act to provide for payment for services of radiologist assistants under\u00a0the\u00a0Medicare program, and for other purposes; Sponsor: Joyce, John [Rep.-R-PA-13]; Committees: House – Energy and Commerce; Ways and Means<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

H.R.9988 \u2014 To amend\u00a0the\u00a0Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to include barley, rye, and oats as major food allergens, and for other purposes; Sponsor: Luna, Anna Paulina [Rep.-R-FL-13]; Committees: House – Energy and Commerce<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

H.R.9990 \u2014 To amend title XVIII of\u00a0the\u00a0Social Security Act to expand access to psychological and behavioral services; Sponsor: Malliotakis, Nicole [Rep.-R-NY-11]; Committees: House – Energy and Commerce; Ways and Means<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

H.R.9996 \u2014\u00a0To amend\u00a0the\u00a0Public\u00a0Health\u00a0Service Act,\u00a0the\u00a0Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, and\u00a0the\u00a0Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to provide for certain\u00a0health\u00a0coverage of newborns; Sponsor: Nadler, Jerrold [Rep.-D-NY-12]; Committees: House – Energy and Commerce; Education\u00a0and Workforce; Ways and Means<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

H.R.10007 \u2014 To prioritize educating and training for existing and new environmental\u00a0health\u00a0professionals; Sponsor: Thanedar, Shri [Rep.-D-MI-13]; Committees: House – Energy and Commerce; Education\u00a0and Workforce<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

H.R.10012 \u2014 To amend title XVIII of\u00a0the\u00a0Social Security Act to require\u00a0the\u00a0Medicare & You handbook to provide information on\u00a0the\u00a0impacts of enrollment in\u00a0the\u00a0patient enrollment system of\u00a0the\u00a0Department of Veterans Affairs\u00a0on\u00a0Medicare premiums, and for other purposes; Sponsor: Williams, Roger [Rep.-R-TX-25]; Committees: House – Ways and Means; Energy and Commerce; Veterans’ Affairs<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

HELP Advances Health Nominees, Health Data Privacy Bill \u2013 The Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee advanced the nominations of Erica Schwartz, MD, JD, MPH to be Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Sean Kaufman to be Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response on Thursday. Schwartz was approved in … <\/p>\n

Continue reading “HELP Advances Health Nominees, Health Data Privacy Bill”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[13,15],"issue":[],"class_list":["post-2271","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-weekly-policy-briefing","tag-legislative-updates","tag-regulatory-updates"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cms.hhs.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2271","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cms.hhs.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cms.hhs.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms.hhs.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms.hhs.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2271"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/cms.hhs.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2271\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2275,"href":"https:\/\/cms.hhs.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2271\/revisions\/2275"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cms.hhs.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2271"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms.hhs.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2271"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms.hhs.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2271"},{"taxonomy":"issue","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms.hhs.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/issue?post=2271"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}