Congressional:

House Energy & Commerce Health Subcommittee Holds Markup on 10 Bills

On Wednesday, the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health held a markup on 10 healthcare or healthcare-related bills. The Health Subcommittee advanced all 10 bills with bipartisan support via voice vote. 

• H.R. 4348, To reauthorize the Kay Hagan Tick Act, and for other purposes: Would reauthorize $27 million annually through fiscal year (FY) 2031, tick disease surveillance and prevention programs, including grants to local health departments.
• H.R. 4541, EARLY Act Reauthorization of 2025: Would reauthorize through 2031 a law passed as part of the Affordable Care Act (PL 111-148) that provided educational resources for breast cancer early detection.
• H.R. 3747, Accelerating Access to Dementia and Alzheimer’s Provider (AADAPT) Training Act: Would reauthorize through FY2031 a law (PL 114-270) that aims to improve early diagnosis of dementia by increasing provider training, especially in rural and underserved areas.
• H.R. 8209, School-Based Health Centers Reauthorization Act of 2026: Would reauthorize the school-based health centers grant program, which provides funding for in-school clinics, at $55 million annually through FY2031.
• H.R. 5160, Stem Cell Therapeutic and Research Reauthorization Act of 2025: Would reauthorize through FY2031, at $33 million annually, a law (PL 109-129) that created a federal program focused on the collection, storage, and transplantation of cord blood stem cells, and created a national cord blood inventory.
• H.R. 8205, Accelerating Access to Critical Therapies for ALS Reauthorization Act of 2026: Would reauthorize through FY2031 a law (PL 117-79) designed to speed up critical research for ALS treatments through public-private partnerships.
• H.R. 2715, Destruction of Hazardous Imports Act: Would give the Food and Drug Administration the authority to destroy items trying to enter the U.S. that pose a public health threat.
• H.R. 2821, FDA Modernization Act 3.0: Would require the Health and Human Services secretary to publish an interim final rule to amend regulations, replacing references to animal testing, data, studies, models, and research.
• H.R. 5347, Health Care Efficiency Through Flexibility Act: Would stipulate certain quality measures for accountable care organizations, which the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services describes as "person-centered care teams" that take on responsibility for improving quality of care, coordination, and health outcomes, while reducing costs.
• H.R. 1703, Choices for Increased Mobility Act of 2025: Would require the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to establish specific billing codes under Medicare for certain materials used in ultralightweight manual wheelchairs.

Notable Bills:

Representatives Wasserman Schultz, Fitzpatrick, DeSaulnier, Wilson Introduce Cancer Survivorship Bill

On Thursday, Representatives Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL), Brian Fitzpatrick(R-PA), Mark DeSaulnier (D-CA), and Joe Wilson (R-SC) reintroduced the Lainie Jones Comprehensive Cancer Survivorship Act (CCSA) to address gaps in survivorship care and develop standards to improve the overall patient-centered quality of care and navigation needs of cancer survivors and their families. The legislation would provide coverage to address the transition to primary care to help survivors develop personalized treatment care plans, standardize processes, and consolidate treatments to guide survivorship monitoring and follow-up care. Read the press release here and the bill here.

Senators Warren, Hawley, & Representatives Harshbarger, Auchincloss Reintroduce Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs) Legislation

On Wednesday, Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Josh Hawley (R-MO), alongside Representatives Diana Harshbarger (R-TN) and Jake Auchincloss (D-MA), reintroduced the Patients Before Monopolies (PBM) Act. The legislation would ban pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) and insurers from owning pharmacies, requiring companies that violate the law to divest those businesses within one year. The bill also strengthens enforcement by allowing federal and state authorities to impose penalties, distribute any disgorged revenue to harmed communities, and oversee divestitures. Read the press release here and the bill here.

Representative Houlahan Leads Bipartisan Bill on Multigenerational Caregiving Data Act to Quantify and Support America’s “Sandwich Generation” of Caregivers

On Wednesday, Representative Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA) led a bipartisan, bicameral group of colleagues in introducing the Multigenerational Caregiving Data Act, legislation aimed at closing a critical data gap affecting millions of Americans who care for both aging parents and children. Co-leading the legislation are Representatives Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL), Mike Turner (R-OH), and Ro Khanna (D-CA). A companion bill in the U.S. Senate is being introduced by Senator Andy Kim (D-NJ). Read the press release here and the bill here.

Representatives Castor, Fitzpatrick, Underwood Reintroduce Bipartisan Legislation to Promote the Inclusion of Pregnant and Lactating Women in Clinical Research

Late last week, Representatives Kathy Castor (D-FL), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), and Lauren Underwood (D-IL) reintroduced the Advancing Safe Medications for Moms and Babies Act. The legislation would modernize the Food and Drug Administration’s regulations, raise awareness of research involving pregnant and lactating women, and encourage high-quality, priority research projects to be conducted at the National Institutes of Health. Read the press release here and the bill here. 

Executive Branch:

FDA Commissioner Marty Makary Resigns, Kyle Diamantas Named Acting Commissioner

On Tuesday, Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Marty Makary announced his resignation after 13 months leading the FDA. Kyle Diamantas, who previously served as the FDA Deputy Commissioner for Food, will lead the FDA in an acting capacity. Prior to joining the FDA in February 2025, Diamantas was a partner at the law firm Jones Day.

CMS Announces Six-Month Moratorium on Hospice and Home Health Agency Enrollment

On Wednesday, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), in coordination with Vice President JD Vance’s Anti-Fraud Task Force, announced a six-month, nationwide data-driven moratorium on new Medicare enrollment for hospices and home health agencies (HHAs). During the six-month moratoria, CMS will increase investigations using data analytics and accelerate the removal of hospice and HHA providers from the Medicare program that are suspected of committing fraud. Read the press release here.

White House Announces CMS to Withhold $1.3 Billion in California Medicaid Payments

On Wednesday, Vice President JD Vance announced at the White House that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) would withhold $1.3 billion in Medicaid funding from the state of California., Alongside the specific sanctions against California, Vance stated that CMS is poised to freeze funding for State Medicaid Fraud Control Units (MFCUs) in all 50 states if they do not act aggressively to root out fraud. In coordination with the press conference, Health and Human Services Inspector General T. March Bell sent a letter to attorneys general in every state on Wednesday, stating that the federal government will audit every state MFCU. The letter stated that the Office of Inspector General (OIG) is “prepared to impose appropriate consequences should it find that a State has failed to operate a MFCU that effectively fulfills its duties.” Watch the White House press conference here.

HHS and CMS Announce First Meeting of Healthcare Advisory Committee

On Tuesday, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced that the first Healthcare Advisory Committee meeting will be held on May 18 at 2 p.m. The public meeting will focus on introducing Committee members, outlining the vision of the Committee, and establishing Committee bylaws. The Committee will advise HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz on ways to improve how care is financed and delivered across Medicare, Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program, and the Health Insurance Marketplace. Read the press release here.

HHS Announces Heartland Forward MOU to Advance Maternal Health

On Tuesday, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Office on Women’s Health (OWH), announced a new Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Heartland Forward to advance maternal health outcomes and improve care for women and families across the United States. Through this partnership, HHS and Heartland Forward will exchange information, align strategies, and collaborate on evidence-based initiatives to reduce maternal morbidity and mortality and strengthen care across the lifespan, including before, during, and after pregnancy. Read the press here.

Trump Administration Proposes Rule to Expand Access to Fertility Benefits with New Legal Pathway for Employers to Offer Benefits Directly to Employees

On Sunday, the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Treasury announced a proposed rule that would create a new category of limited excepted benefits to further expand the ability of employers to offer meaningful fertility benefits to their employees. The proposed rule would establish a new category of limited excepted benefits. The proposed rule would require that substantially all covered benefits relate to the diagnosis, mitigation, or treatment of infertility or related reproductive health conditions. It would also cap benefits at a combined lifetime maximum of $120,000 per participant and beneficiaries (indexed for inflation after 2028) and require employers to provide a notice clearly describing the coverage and other required information. Read the press release here and the proposed rule here.

Trump Administration Launches Moms.Gov for New and Expecting Mothers

On Sunday, the Department of Health and Human Services launched Moms.gov, a website for new and expecting mothers. Moms.gov includes information about pregnancy centers, Federally Qualified Health Centers, nutritional guidance, Trump Accounts, and other resources.