Health

WASHINGTON, D.C.  – In President Trump’s historic Working Families Tax Cuts, House Republicans implemented provisions that protect our federal health care programs for the traditional Medicaid population—our expectant mothers, their children, low-income seniors, and individuals with disabilities. FACT: The enactment of the Working Families Tax Cuts emphasized the need for and importance of guardrails to stabilize and strengthen the Medicaid program for the vulnerable Americans it was designed to serve and assist for generations to come. Republicans remain adamantly opposed to Democrat policies that allow illegal immigrants, able-bodied adults choosing not to work, and people who aren’t actually qualified for Medicaid (or at times people who are dead or enrolled in two state programs at the same time) to continue consuming resources from a rapidly growing system. The Republican solution invests billions into long-term care for our seniors and people with disabilities by establishing a new pathway for states to offer home and community-based services to more people who are in need. The new investment will lead to an increase in tens of billions of new dollars in long-term care spending, while also diverting and delaying the eventual need for more expensive, acute care. Democrats’ continued efforts to mislead Americans through false claims that the traditional Medicaid population will lose their care because of this bill are simply not true. Nothing in the Working Families Tax Cuts law would change benefits for pregnant women, children, seniors, or individuals who are disabled. Instead, the bill included numerous commonsense provisions that reduce abuse in the program and allow Medicaid resources to help uplift the traditional Medicaid population and ensure Medicaid remains a safety net for generations to come. “Time and again, Republicans have fought for strengthening, sustaining, and securing the Medicaid program for our most vulnerable Americans—expectant mothers, children, low-income seniors, and individuals living with disabilities,” said House Committee on Energy and Commerce Chairman Brett Guthrie . “No matter how many times we emphasize the point, the truth of the Working Families Tax Cuts law stays the same: despite the claim of left-wing media, members of the traditional Medicaid population will not lose coverage due to this law. Republicans are enabling the Medicaid program to serve its intended purpose, and we will continue to fight for solutions that protect the program for generations to come.” “House Republicans advanced a legislative product that lowers health care premiums, promotes community engagement and delivers fairness and accountability to our health care system. The Working Families Tax Cuts increases oversight efforts as part of a larger package of Medicaid program integrity measures to more precisely serve the traditional Medicaid and the Medicaid Expansion populations,” said Health Subcommittee Chairman Morgan Griffith . “Progressive Democrats and their Congressional allies are desperate as they try to pan the Working Families Tax Cuts as devastating to the traditional Medicaid population, which is not true! The traditional Medicaid population, which includes expectant mothers, low-income seniors, children and individuals with disabilities, is not affected by our bill!” “AFP proudly supported the Working Families Tax Cut Act, and we’ll defend it to our dying day. With this landmark law, Republicans averted the biggest tax hike in American history, secured the border, and unleashed America’s energy abundance, and delivered on some of the most important, pro-patient health care reforms in a generation. We especially applaud Republicans for disregarding Democrats’ hyperbolic claims and histrionic scare tactics aimed at blocking any change to Medicaid, a vital part of our nation’s health care safety net. Years of Democratic neglect and profligacy have allowed Medicaid to become swollen with waste, fraud, and abuse, including billions in ‘free’ health care for illegal immigrants. Republicans have come to the rescue, preserving Medicaid for low-income, disabled, and other vulnerable Americans—refocusing it on those who need it most. And they did it without cutting benefits in any way. We also applaud the new law because it boldly advances a Personal Option—affordable health care you can trust,” said Senior Health Policy Fellow at Americans for Prosperity, Dean Clancy. “Only a few months old, it’s already increasing the quality and accessibility of health care by expanding access to powerful tools like tax-free Health Savings Accounts and exciting new options like direct primary care, which gives patients affordable, round-the-clock access to the doctors they trust—without insurance company meddling. On behalf of our thousands of grassroots activists, we applaud President Trump and his fellow Republicans for taking the first big leap toward the affordable, personalized health care system Americans want and deserve.” “The Working Families Tax Cuts rightfully refocuses Medicaid on low-income children, pregnant women, the elderly, and the disabled. It does this by preserving federal health programs for citizens and lawful residents. It requires able-bodied, working-age adults to work, go to school, or volunteer to receive benefits. It cracks down on corporate-welfare schemes that direct billions of dollars to wealthy, politically connected insurers and hospitals. And it reduces waste, fraud, and abuse that divert resources from those that truly need it,” said President of Paragon Health Institute, Brian Blase, Ph.D. “As Director of Able Americans, I’m encouraged to see the Working Families Tax Cuts (WFTC) include two key provisions that will directly improve the lives of Americans with disabilities. “First, the WFTC incorporates the Helping Communities with Better Support (HCBS) Act, which expands access to Medicaid home- and community-based services for individuals with disabilities and their caregivers. This provision increases transparency and accountability for those waiting for care—an essential step toward dignity and choice. “Next, the bill strengthens ABLE Accounts by extending vital tax provisions that help people with disabilities save for their futures without fear of losing benefits like Medicaid. It codifies a $1,000 savers credit and allows families to roll over 529 education savings accounts into ABLE Accounts—promoting financial security, independence, and flexibility for those navigating work and long-term care needs. “Importantly, the WFTC protects the future of Medicaid for the most vulnerable it was intended to serve. WFTC adds critical protections against abuse of the program and adds a community engagement requirement for expansion-population, able-bodied adults. Those who are unable to work because of their disability or who are receiving medical care are not included in this requirement,” said Director of the National Center’s Able Americans Program, Rachel K. Barkley. What Republicans Did Under the Working Families Tax Cuts: The law made historic investments for the most vulnerable.   Through the $50 billion dollar investment from the Rural Health Transformation Program, states have the opportunity to bolster their ability to care for the vulnerable by:   Helping maintain essential services like emergency room care, labor and delivery services, and behavioral health care;   Funding rural emergency medical services (EMS) and support training for new EMS personnel; and/or   Investing in technology infrastructure to help communities better access care, to name only a few examples.   The Working Families Tax Cuts law also implemented the largest ever investment in Home and Community Based Services, which are vital for members of the traditional population such as seniors and individuals who are disabled. Republicans reinstated States’ ability to conduct more frequent eligibility redeterminations for able-bodied adults.   This strengthens program integrity by requiring states to check eligibility every six months to ensure enrollees—particularly the able-bodied, working-age adult expansion category—are unable to take advantage of a system that was created to protect our most vulnerable.   This law also takes action to prohibit Medicaid from wasting money covering beneficiaries who have died, or the same individual enrolled in multiple states. WFTC cracked down on States’ capacity to provide Medicaid coverage to non-citizens.   States should not be granted more federal funding for providing care to non-citizens then they are for our pregnant women, their children, low-income seniors, and individuals with disabilities. The law increased personal accountability for able-bodied, unemployed adults within the expansion population to lift Americans out of poverty and re-enter society.  Establishing work requirements for able-bodied adults who are choosing not to work helps ensure that Medicaid is there to continue to support future generations of Americans most in need—our expectant mothers, low-income seniors, children, and individuals with disabilities. The Working Families Tax Cuts law set a $1 million limit on the home value people can keep when applying for Medicaid, ensuring help goes to those who truly need it.   The bill includes commonsense policies to ensure resources are focused on those who need it the most, not on people with million-dollar homes. The legislation reduced States’ reliance on gimmicks that shift costs of care for members of the expansion population onto the federal taxpayer, making sure states are paying their fair share.   States have been taking advantage of federal taxpayers to inflate their Medicaid programs, especially in expanding care for able-bodied adults. Our legislation holds state accountable. CLICK HERE to read the Fox News article, Republicans, health experts push back on Democrats’ Medicaid ‘scare tactics’ ###

WASHINGTON, D.C.  – Today, Congressman Brett Guthrie (KY-02), Chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, and Congressman John Joyce, M.D. (PA-13), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, sent a letter to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) requesting a briefing to better understand the Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) recent actions and ongoing work to enhance safety within the organ procurement and transplantation system. On Thursday, September 18, 2025, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced major efforts to improve safety, transparency, and efficiency within the organ procurement and transplantation system, including the decertification of an organ procurement organization (OPO) for the first time in U.S. history. According to the announcement , the decision was made “after an investigation uncovered years of unsafe practices, poor training, chronic underperformance, understaffing, and paperwork errors.” The Committee has a history of ensuring patient safety remains the highest priority in our organ procurement and transplantation system, as evident from the Committee’s work last Congress on organ transplantation and donation issues as well as its oversight this Congress. As a part of its ongoing investigation, the Committee requests that CMS respond to questions, including those related to the decertification of the OPO in South Florida and the prevalence of incidents similar to those outlined in the Health Resources and Services Administration’s (HRSA) investigative report, to ensure patient safety remains a top priority. Read the full letter HERE . “While the Committee applauds efforts taken by CMS to uphold the highest standards of care to which all OPOs are expected to adhere, HHS’s announcement decertifying the Life Alliance Organ Recovery Agency illustrates the urgency of this moment and why the subcommittee is not finished with our oversight of the organ transplant system,” said Chairmen Guthrie and Joyce. “It is our moral obligation as members of Congress to establish safeguards and prevent these harmful practices from persisting further, and we look forward to obtaining answers from the agency about the prevalence of these incidents, as well as how CMS plans to proceed with prioritizing patient safety first and foremost.” Background: During the 118th Congress, the Committee on Energy and Commerce led the passage of the Securing the U.S. Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network Act to both modernize the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (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 Virginia, and Indiana.   HRSA’s investigation examined an “index case” and an additional 351 unique cases of authorized, not recovered (ANR) patients. This means that the patients were considered for donation after circulatory death recovery, but no organs were transplanted. The report showed that nearly 30 percent of the cases “had concerning features.” The 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.  On May 28, 2025, HRSA issued a corrective action plan to the 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.  On September 12, 2025, the Committee sent a bipartisan letter to HRSA requesting a briefing on its ongoing oversight of patient safety in our nation’s organ procurement and transplant system. ###

WASHINGTON, D.C.  – Today, Congressman Brett Guthrie (KY-02), Chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, issued the following statement in response to an announcement by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) of a decision to recall ByHeart Whole Nutrition Infant Formula due to an outbreak of infant botulism, which is currently being investigated. “The Committee has a history of conducting oversight of infant formula matters to ensure adequate supply is safe and readily available for families and children. President Trump’s FDA has also done important work through Operation Stork Speed to address these issues, and I am pleased to see his Administration take swift action to restore confidence for caretakers when it comes to their little ones’ nutritional needs,” said Chairman Guthrie . “I am grateful to HHS Secretary Kennedy and FDA Commissioner Makary for furthering our commitment to protecting children and mothers through improving the safety and availability of the domestic infant formula supply.”   Background:    The Committee has conducted extensive oversight of the Biden Administration’s mishandling of the infant-formula shortage and challenged the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) on its preparedness, inspection practices, and responsiveness to early warnings about the formula crisis.  On May 25, 2022, the House Committee on Energy and Commerce’s Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations held a hearing titled “Formula Safety and Supply: Protecting the Health of America’s Babies” during the infant-formula shortage to examine supply, safety, and what further action was needed.  Following the hearing, the Committee sent a letter to then FDA Commissioner, Robert M. Califf, directing the Biden Administration to provide access to the memos and reports sent to the White House and demanding that the administration be completely transparent with parents who deserve answers.   On September 21, 2022, Energy and Commerce Republicans convinced Committee Democrats to join in passing a bipartisan resolution  requesting that the Biden administration turn over documents related to the baby formula shortage. H.Res.1287 was reported out of the committee by a vote of 54-0.    Chairman Guthrie has also introduced legislation to help prevent future baby formula shortages—the More Options for Infants and Parents Act— and signed on as a cosponsor to the Improving Newborn Formula Access for a Nutritious Tomorrow (INFANT) Act , to enhance testing of infant formula for contaminants and improve resilience of supply. ###

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.