Health

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Brett Guthrie (KY-02), Chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, and Congressman Jason Smith (MO-08), Chairman of the House Committee on Ways and Means, announced the details for upcoming hearings inviting in five of the biggest health insurance company Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) to answer questions on how we can make health care more affordable for all Americans with commercial insurance coverage—not just the seven percent of Americans who obtain their health insurance through Obamacare.

Quote Attributable to Chairmen Guthrie and Smith:

“House Republicans are once again left to clean up the mess of Democrats’ flawed policymaking. Instead of temporarily bailing out a failing program utilized by a fraction of the country, we have invited five of the top health insurance company CEOs to testify before our Committees to have a discussion and answer questions about rising costs, the current state of health care affordability, and the role played by large health insurers.

“This hearing is the first in a series to examine the root causes driving higher health care prices and discuss policies that will lower the cost of care for all Americans.

“Republicans are committed to making health care more affordable by driving solutions that increase patient choice and competition, root out waste, fraud, and abuse, and put patients back at the center of our health care system.”

BACKGROUND:

The date of the hearings will be January 22, 2026, with the panel appearing before the House Committee on Energy and Commerce in the morning, and the House Committee on Ways and Means in the afternoon.

Companies invited are UnitedHealthcare, CVS Health, Cigna Healthcare, Elevance Health, and Blue Shield of California.

Witnesses Invited:

• Stephen Hemsley, CEO, UnitedHealth Group
• David Joyner, President and CEO, CVS Health Group
• David Cordani, President, CEO, and Chairman of the Board, Cigna Health Group
• Gail Boudreaux, President and CEO, Elevance Health
• Paul Markovich, President and CEO, Ascendiun

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Morgan Griffith (VA-09), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Health, delivered the following opening statement at today’s hearing titled Legislative Proposals to Support Patient Access to Medicare Services.

Subcommittee Chairman Griffith’s opening statement as prepared for delivery:

“Today’s hearing will discuss ten bills aimed at improving patient access in Medicare.

“As our population ages, it is critical that Medicare policies keep pace with patient needs.

“Ensuring beneficiaries can obtain timely, cost-effective services is essential to fulfilling Medicare’s promise.

“A handful of bills we are discussing today help increase access to durable medical equipment, or DME, which include wheelchairs, oxygen equipment, walkers, diabetic supplies just to name a few.

“However, the way Medicare reimburses for these products can be improved.

“Dr. Joyce from Pennsylvania is leading H.R. 1703, the Choices for Increased Mobility Act, which creates a new billing code to improve Medicare coverage for ultralightweight wheelchairs, particularly those made from titanium or carbon fiber.

“Currently, an individual must pay full price for the upgrade to a lighter, more functional wheelchair, and then hope to get reimbursed by Medicare later.

“This bill will allow Medicare to cover a portion of the costs up front to ease the financial burden on individuals.

“Another bill, H.R. 2477, the Portable Ultrasound Reimbursement Equity Act, led by Representative Van Duyne from Texas, provides Medicare reimbursement for portable ultrasound transportation and services, which will help seniors get the care they need.

“Representative Miller-Meeks from Iowa champions H.R. 2005, the DMEPOS Relief Act, would establish a fairer rate for DME supplies.

“The way DME products get priced is through a process known as competitive bidding.

“This is where DME suppliers bid to be the sole contractor in certain areas of the country with the winning bid prices used to determine supplier reimbursement.

“These prices are not one size fits all, and suppliers, especially in some areas, struggle to stay open due to these low rates.

“This bill aims to help mitigate that impact.

“The last bill in the DME space is H.R. 2902, the Supplemental Oxygen Access Reform Act, led by Representative Valadao from California.

“Among other things, this bill removes supplemental oxygen and its supplies from the competitive bidding program and creates a new reimbursement rate for supplemental and liquid oxygen.

“We will also be considering H.R. 2172, the Preserving Patient Access to Home Infusion Act, led by Representative Buchanan from Florida.

“This bill would make updates to the home infusion therapy benefit and support patient access to this benefit.

“The current reimbursement structure is not aligned with how these therapies are currently administered in the home.

“This bill will modernize the model, ensure adequate provider reimbursement and support patient access to home infusions.

“Another bill being considered today is H.R. 5269, the Reforming and Enhancing Sustainable Updates to Laboratory Testing Services Act, led by Representative Hudson from North Carolina.

“This bill would update how CMS establishes reimbursement rates for clinical laboratory services paid under the Medicare Clinical Lab Fee Schedule.

“This important bill aims to create a less burdensome process for CMS to determine private payor-based rates for lab services.

“A few other bills being considered today include:

“H.R. 5243, led by Representative McClellan from Virginia, that brings more transparency into supplemental benefits provided by Medicare Advantage plans.

“H.R. 5347, the Health Care Efficiency Through Flexibility Act, also led by Representative Buchanan.

“This bill would extend certain methods for collecting Accountable Care Organization’s quality measurement data, as well as establish a digital quality measure pilot program.

“H.R. 6210, the Senior Savings Protection Act, led by Representative Matsui from California, reauthorizes and funds certain programs under the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act.

“These programs help low-income beneficiaries understand and access their benefits.

“Lastly, we will discuss H.R. 6361, the BAN AI Denials in Medicare Act, led by Representative Landsman from Ohio.

“This bill prohibits the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation or CMMI from implementing the Wasteful and Inappropriate Service Reduction Model, or the WISeR Model.

“While I understand the concerns around AI and prior authorization, CMMI’s statutory mission is to lower health care costs and improve outcomes for patients.

“The WISeR Model does not change Medicare coverage policy but will focus on ensuring that for a set of non-emergency services, seniors are getting safe, effective, and appropriate care.

“I look forward to hearing from the witnesses today and working to advance these bills to a markup.”

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Morgan Griffith (VA-09), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Health, led a hearing titled Legislative Proposals to Support Patient Access to Medicare Services.

“As our population ages, it is critical that Medicare policies keep pace with patient needs. Today’s hearing highlighted legislation that works to improve patient access in Medicare,” said Chairman Griffith. “Ensuring beneficiaries can obtain timely, cost-effective services is essential to fulfilling Medicare’s promise.”

Watch the full hearing here .

Below are key excerpts from today’s hearing:

Congressman John Joyce, M.D. (PA-13): “H.R. 1703, the Choices for Increased Mobility Act of 2025, is commonsense legislation. It would give greater access to Medicare beneficiaries to titanium and to carbon fiber wheelchairs. There is one key word in this legislation, and that is choice. This bill allows Medicare patients the opportunity to decide whether a titanium or a carbon fiber wheelchair is the right choice for them, and if it is, patients with Medicare B have the ability to pay out of pocket for wheelchair upgrades if they so choose.”

Congresswoman Mariannette Miller-Meeks (IA-01): “As a physician and nurse, I have seen firsthand how critical timely access to oxygen equipment, mobility devices, and home medical supplies are to keep patients healthy and out of hospitals. When access to these services is disrupted, patient outcomes suffer, and costs to the health care system increase. That is why I introduced H.R. 2005, the DMEPOS Relief Act of 2025. DMEPOS suppliers, particularly small independent providers and those serving rural communities, are under growing financial pressure due to inflation, workforce shortages, supply chain disruptions, and Medicare reimbursement rates that have not kept pace with real-world costs. In many cases, suppliers are being forced to limit services or exit the Medicare program altogether, leaving beneficiaries with fewer options and longer wait times.”

Congressman Tom Kean (NJ-07): “I appreciate this Committee’s efforts to educate all of us on legislation that could help our seniors who rely on Medicare. I support H.R. 5269, the Reforming and Enhancing Sustainable Updates to Laboratory Testing Services (RESULTS) Act of 2025, that’s been introduced by my colleague from North Carolina, Representative Hudson. This bill would make vital reforms to Medicare’s clinical lab fee schedule, which pays for lab tests New Jersey seniors rely on for routine care and for diagnosis of more complex conditions like cancer. In New Jersey, there were over 2,300 laboratories. In my district, there are over 200. Ms. Van Meter, can you articulate the urgency of reform needed for Medicare’s clinical lab fee schedule?” Ms. Susan Van Meter: “On January 31, about 800 tests will get cut by up to 15 percent. The cuts are going to hit tests that are among the most routine that Medicare beneficiaries rely on every day. Those kinds of reductions will have an impact on beneficiary access to services. It will also stifle innovation in the next generation of diagnostics those same patients need and deserve.”

WASHINGTON, D.C.  – House Committee on Energy and Commerce Chairman Brett Guthrie (KY-02) and Ranking Member Frank Pallone Jr., (NJ-06), along with Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations Chairman John Joyce, MD (PA-13), and Ranking Member Yvette D. Clarke (NY-09), wrote to the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) requesting a briefing on its ongoing oversight of patient safety in our nation’s organ procurement and transplant system.   In July, the Committee’s Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee held a hearing in response to a HRSA investigative report that found patient safety concerns at Kentucky Organ Donor Affiliates (KYDA) – the organ procurement organization (OPO) serving the state of Kentucky. In the investigative report, HRSA revealed that of the 351 cases reviewed, 103 cases (29.3 percent) showed “concerning features.” These concerning features included problems with patient-family interactions, medical assessments and team interactions, recognition of high neurologic function, and recognition and documentation of drugs in records.   In addition, HRSA issued a corrective action plan to address the findings in its report specific to KYDA and directing the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) Board of Directors to develop certain safety guidelines for the entire OPTN. The corrective action plan raised further questions about the possibility that there may be more systemic issues at OPOs across the country, noting that “ [s]ince the review of KYDA was initiated, HRSA has received reports of similar patterns of high risk [donation after circulatory death] procurement practices at other OPOs .” Moreover, during the July hearing, HRSA’s Organ Transplant Branch Chief, Dr. Raymond Lynch was questioned about the potential failure to adhere to existing protocols by Rep. Erin Houchin (IN-09): “ is it a broader systemic issue or is it limited to KYDA ?” Dr. Lynch responded that “ [u]nfortunately, it is not limited to KYDA. During the course of this investigation we received concerns that were in areas served by other OPOs. ”  Chairmen Guthrie and Joyce and Ranking Members Pallone and Clarke issued the following joint statement:    “ The Committee’s examination of the organ procurement and transplant system has demonstrated the need for further oversight.  Testimony from the July hearing, HRSA’s investigative report and corrective action plan, and continued reports of similar patterns at other OPOs all raise serious concerns. The American people should be able to have full faith and confidence in our organ donor and transplant system, and we will continue to work together to prevent these harmful practices from continuing. Americans’ confidence in the system comes when patient safety is protected. ”    Read the full letter  here . Background:  ·       During the 118th Congress, the Committee on Energy and Commerce  passed  the Securing the U.S. Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network Act to both modernize the OPTN and allow HRSA to institute a competitive contracting process to find the best contractors for various OPTN functions. This legislation was signed into law on September 22, 2023.   ·       On March 20, 2024, the Committee  launched an investigation  into the organ procurement and transplantation system by sending  a letter  to United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) requesting information related to concerns surrounding data security and operability, patient safety and equity, and conflicts of interest.    ·       On March 20, 2024, the Committee also sent  a letter  to HRSA requesting information related to implementation of the Securing the U.S. Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network Act as well as other concerns related to effective oversight and management.   ·       On September 11, 2024, the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations held a  hearing  that focused on the implementation of reforms at the OPTN, including the need for stronger oversight and accountability as well as ongoing patient safety concerns.   ·       During the hearing, questions were raised related to allegations of mismanagement and patient safety concerns after patients began exhibiting signs of increased neurologic function after being previously deemed suitable as an organ donation candidate. Several of these allegations, particularly those related to patient safety, were later substantiated through the findings contained in HRSA’s March 2025 report.   ·       On March 24, 2025, HRSA’s Division of Transplantation issued a  report  that summarized the findings of its investigation into KYDA, the OPO now known as Network for Hope, which serves Kentucky and parts of Ohio, West Virgina, and Indiana.  ·       On May 28, 2025, HRSA issued a  CAP  to OPTN, which directed the OTPN to take specific actions within a specified period of time, including developing a 12-month OPTN monitoring plan for KYDA to address concerns identified. The corrective action plan also requires the OPTN to propose policies for public comment to improve safeguards for potential donation after circulatory death (DCD) patients in the organ procurement process and increase information shared with patient families regarding DCD organ procurement.   ·       On July 22, 2025, the House Committee on Energy and Commerce’s Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations held a  hearing  examining concerning practices within our nation’s organ procurement and transplant system that were identified by HRSA’s investigation.   ###

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Brett Guthrie (KY-02), Chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, along with Reps. Palmer (AL-06), Carter (GA-01), Bilirakis (FL-12), and Obernolte (CA-23), penned a letter to the Executive Director of Covered California (CoveredCA), Jessica Altman, to request further information related to the potentially unauthorized transmission of sensitive personal health information involving Covered California’s website. Key Letter Excerpt: “According to public reports and agency statements, tracking technology was embedded on Covered California's website beginning in February 2024, as part of a broader digital advertising effort, and in direct contravention of the tracking platform’s user agreement, which prohibits the use of such tools on pages that collect sensitive health information. Although the tags were reportedly removed in April 2025, following external scrutiny and a vendor transition, the extended period of data exposure raises serious questions about the adequacy of safeguards that Covered California had in place. Forensic testing by investigative reporters identified the trackers in operation and confirmed that user-entered health information was being transmitted to third parties without consent. These circumstances warrant examination of Covered California’s actions under federal privacy standards.” “Ensuring the confidentiality of health information is a foundational obligation for entities operating within the health insurance ecosystem. Federal privacy protections, particularly the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), establish expectations for how covered organizations handle sensitive data. Recent reports and public filings raised questions about whether those expectations were met in this case, and whether existing oversight mechanisms are sufficient to detect and prevent improper disclosures.” Background: Forensic testing shows Covered California —the State of California’s official health insurance marketplace—has been sending sensitive user health data to third-party websites through several online data trackers. Prior to removal of the trackers, CoveredCA had more than 60 trackers active on its website; the average number of trackers on a government website is three. Some types of information sent to such websites include: Searches for doctors in network with specific plans/specializations Demographic information, including gender, ethnicity, and marital status Length of treatment a patent received by a provider Frequency of doctor visits If the user indicated they were blind, pregnant, a victim of domestic abuse, or used prescription medications. The State of California independently operates CoveredCA. As the state’s official ACA marketplace, CoveredCA falls under the purview of Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). The disclosure of information such as pregnancy or prescription drug use without proper consent—even for “marketing purposes”—may violate HIPAA. This Congress, the Committee has sent letters to 23andMe and DeepSeek over potential data privacy concerns: The Committee also held a hearing last Congress on the Change Healthcare hack, where personal health information was also jeopardized. CLICK HERE to read Fox News coverage of the letter. CLICK HERE to view the full letter. ###

Washington, D.C. — In a new letter to Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Inspector General Christi Grimm, House Energy and Commerce Committee Republicans requested an investigation into the strength, quality, and types of evidence-based scientific and pediatric medical literature relied on by the department to promote gender transition procedures for children.  KEY LETTER EXCERPT:  “As the agency responsible for safeguarding the health and well-being of Americans, all of HHS’s medical treatment recommendations, especially medical treatment recommendations for children, should be based on rigorous and well-established research, such as randomized controlled trials, that have definitively illustrated the long-term benefits of gender affirming care treatments.”  BACKGROUND:  Under the Biden administration, HHS has advocated for sex reassignment procedures on minors, including the use of serum puberty blockers, which have historically been used to treat children with precocious puberty (i.e., early onset puberty affecting about one percent of U.S. children) and sex offenders.   Puberty blockers, however, are known to stunt normal childhood development in children unaffected by precocious puberty.  HHS officials contend that sex reassignment procedures on minors are an unanimously accepted medical practice.  HHS Secretary Becerra testified before Congress that “every major medical association,” “medical journals,” and “scientific and medical evidence” has demonstrated the benefits of transitioning children’s biological sex.  When asked, via a Freedom of Information Act request, for the underlying scientific or medical basis for its position, HHS was only able to produce a two-page brochure that was already publicly available.  In contrast to HHS, a growing body of literature from medical experts and authorities around the world, including those in Europe, caution against performing such procedures on minors.   Courts and government health agencies responsible for determining child welfare have sought to limit child sex reassignment procedures.   Other countries have banned these interventions and surgeries on minors altogether.  An article published in the British Journal of Medicine found “there is great uncertainty about the effects of puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and surgeries in young people.”   A court in the United Kingdom noted the obvious about administering puberty blocking chemicals onto children: “[i]t is highly unlikely that a child aged 13 or under would be competent to give consent to the administration of puberty blockers. It is doubtful that a child aged 14 or 15 could understand and weigh the long-term risks and consequences of the administration of puberty blockers.”  In April 2024, the Cass Review , an independent review of gender identity services for children and young people, commissioned by the National Health Service England, found “[w]hile a considerable amount of research has been published in this field, systematic evidence reviews demonstrated the poor quality of the published studies, meaning there is not a reliable evidence base upon which to make clinical decisions, or for children and their families to make informed choices.”   The Cass Review also found that “[t]he rationale for early puberty suppression remains unclear, with weak evidence regarding the impact on gender dysphoria, mental or psychosocial health,” as well as unknown effects on cognitive and psychosexual development.  In August 2024, the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) became the first major U.S. medical association to express caution on the use of gender surgery for gender dysphoria in adolescents. In its formal statement, the association stated: “ASPS currently understands that there is considerable uncertainty as to the long-term efficacy for the use of chest and genital surgical interventions for the treatment of adolescents with gender dysphoria, and the existing evidence base is viewed as low quality/low certainty. This patient population requires specific considerations.”   The letter was signed by Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA), Subcommittee on Health Chair Brett Guthrie (R-KY), Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations Chair Morgan Griffith (R-VA), Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-TX), Rep. Gus Bilirakis (R-FL), Rep. Buddy Carter (R-GA), Rep. Gary Palmer (R-AL), Rep. Neal Dunn (R-FL), Rep. Randy Weber (R-TX), Rep. Troy Balderson (R-OH), Rep. August Pfluger (R-TX), Rep. Diana Harshbarger (R-TN), and Rep. Kat Cammack (R-FL).  CLICK HERE to read the letter.