Health hearing week
The House will be back in town on Tuesday after severe weather delayed its return. The House will have a busy week with multiple health hearings, while the Senate will largely be focused on Sen. Markwayne Mullin’s (R-OK) nomination hearing for secretary of the US Department of Homeland Security.
Most attention in the House will be on the two Energy and Commerce Committee health hearings. The Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee will hear from Kim Brandt, deputy administrator and chief operating officer at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), about CMS’s role in combatting Medicare and Medicaid fraud. The hearing continues Republicans’ focus on preventing fraud in federal programs and strengthening program integrity efforts, and it follows the subcommittee’s recent announcement of an investigation into 10 state Medicaid programs. Members will likely ask questions related to current CMS authorities to combat fraud, waste, and abuse, and there could be discussion of legislative reforms to enhance CMS’s program integrity abilities. Democrats will likely raise concerns that Republicans and CMS have been primarily focused on Medicaid programs in blue states, such as California, New York, and Minnesota.
The next day, the Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee will hold the third hearing in its healthcare affordability series. The subcommittee previously heard from health insurance executives and stakeholders in the pharmaceutical drug supply chain, and now the subcommittee will be joined by provider associations, including those representing hospitals and physicians. Discussion could focus on proposals to lower the costs of care or involve debate on provider billing practices including site neutral proposals.
Additionally, National Institutes of Health Director Bhattacharya will testify at a House Appropriations Committee oversight hearing. The House Select Subcommittee on China will examine competition with China over medications, and the House Ways and Means Committee will discuss how to improve kidney health. The House may also vote on H.R. 1958, the Deporting Fraudsters Act of 2026, under a rule. This bill would deport or bar individuals from admission to the United States if they committed fraud in federal programs, including Medicare and Medicaid.
Today’s podcast
In this week’s Healthcare Preview, Debbie Curtis and Rodney Whitlock join Julia Grabo to discuss the upcoming busy week in Congress, including a House Energy and Commerce Oversight Subcommittee hearing on Medicare and Medicaid fraud and a Health Subcommittee hearing on affordability and providers.
