Legislative Update: House Ways & Means, Senate Finance Committees Hold Hearings on the Care Coordination and Rising Health Care Costs

On Jan. 22, the House Energy & Commerce Health Subcommittee and House Ways & Means Committee held hearings with the Chief Executives of five major health insurers. With a focus on affordability, Members and witnesses each shared a series of questions, proposals, and commitments regarding the increasing costs of care in the United States. And while health policy proposals continue to face partisan gridlock in Congress, legislators on both sides of the aisle agreed that health insurance premiums have risen exponentially, while increasing rates of prior authorization denials hamper patient access to care.

On Tuesday, Jan. 20, the House appropriators unveiled a three-part minibus spending package for Fiscal Year 2026. The package covers appropriations for the Department of Labor, Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Department of Defense, Department of Transportation, and Department of Homeland Security. In addition to appropriations funding, the proposal includes several policy changes such as long-term extensions of expiring Medicare telehealth flexibilities and community health center funding, health care program reauthorizations, and significant pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) reform proposals extending to both Medicare and commercial plans.

AMCP’s Policy Outlook 2026 provides a forward-looking analysis of the political, legislative, and regulatory developments poised to shape managed care pharmacy in the year ahead, from the 2026 midterm elections and government funding deadlines to major policy debates around PBM reform, Medicare drug price negotiation, GLP-1 coverage, direct-to-consumer drug models, and the 340B program. Designed to help managed care professionals anticipate change and plan strategically, the report breaks down what to expect from Congress, federal agencies, and the administration—and what it all means for patient access, costs, and pharmacy operations. Download the full Policy Outlook 2026 to explore the key issues, timelines, and implications that will define the policy environment in the coming year.