Rep. Morgan Griffith

R

Virginia – District 9
representative

Leadership

Chairman Health

119th Congress

News & Announcements

Mar 19, 2026
Health

Chairmen Guthrie and Griffith Announce Hearing to Discuss Legislation that Protects American Communities from Emerging Illicit Drug Threats

WASHINGTON, D.C.  –   Today, Congressman Brett Guthrie (KY-02), Chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, and Congressman Morgan Griffith (VA-09), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Health, announced a hearing titled  Policies to Protect Our Communities from Illicit Drug Threats. “As new and emerging drug threats arise in communities across America, it’s vital this Committee continues to implement solutions that prevent illicit drugs from causing any more damage for American families,”  said Chairmen Guthrie and Griffith . “This hearing builds on critical pieces of legislation that President Trump signed into law last year, like the HALT Fentanyl Act and the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Reauthorization Act. We will also discuss several additional bills that actively promote the safety of our constituents and crack down on the infiltration of lethal substances into our communities. We are grateful to our bill sponsors for championing these policies, because there is always more that can be done to combat the illicit drug crisis.” Subcommittee on Health legislative hearing titled  Policies to Protect Our Communities From Illicit Drug Threats . WHAT:  Subcommittee on Health legislative hearing on how the Committee is cracking down on illicit drug threats in order to protect Americans families and keep communities safe. DATE:  Thursday, March 26, 2026       TIME:  2:00 PM ET LOCATION:  2123 Rayburn House Office Building This hearing will focus on the following bills:  H.R. 1266 ,  Combatting Illicit Xylazine Act (Reps. Panetta and Pfluger) H.R. 5630 ,  To amend the Public Health Service Act to require additional information in State plans for Substance Use Prevention, Treatment, and Recovery Services block grants (Rep. Houchin) H.R. 5629 ,  To provide that the final rule of the Department of Health and Human Services titled “Medications for the Treatment of Opioid Use Disorder”, except for the portion of the final rule relating to accreditation of opioid treatment programs, shall have no force or effect. (Rep. Houchin) H.R. 2004 ,  Tyler’s Law (Reps. Lieu and Latta) H.R. 7970 ,  STOP Nitazenes Act (Rep. Latta) H.R. 8000 ,  END 7-OH Act (Rep. Bilirakis) H.R. 7184 ,  PRESS Act (Rep. McDowell) H.R. 8005 ,  Stop Pills That Kill Act (Rep. Evans) H.R. 5880 ,  Fight Illicit Pill Presses Act (Reps. Hageman and Stansbury) H.R. 1227 ,  Alternatives to Pain Act (Reps. Miller-Meeks and Barragan) H.R. 2715 ,  Destruction of Hazardous Imports Act (Reps. Higgins and Carter) H.R. 1561 ,  ALERT Communities Act (Reps. Crockett and Gooden) H.R. 7994 ,  HERO Act (Rep. Ruiz) H.R. 7407 ,  Prohibiting Tianeptine and Other Dangerous Products Act of 2026 (Rep. Pallone) This notice is at the direction of the Chairman. This hearing will be open to the public and press and will be livestreamed at  energycommerce.house.gov . If you have any questions about this hearing, please contact Annabelle Huffman with the Committee staff at  Annabelle.Huffman@mail.house.gov . If you have any press-related questions, please contact Katie West at  Katie.West@mail.house.gov . ###

Mar 18, 2026
Press Release

Chairman Griffith Delivers Opening Statement at Subcommittee on Health Third Hearing in Series to Improve Health Care Affordability for All Americans

WASHINGTON, D.C.  – Congressman Morgan Griffith (VA-09), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Health, delivered the following opening statement at today’s hearing titled  Lowering Health Care Costs for All Americans: An Examination of the U.S. Provider Landscape . Subcommittee Chairman Griffith’s opening statement as prepared for delivery: “Today we will discuss health care costs and patient access challenges by examining the health care provider landscape.   “This is the third hearing in the Committee’s health affordability series following hearings with health insurance executives back in January and stakeholders from the prescription drug supply chain last month.    “The United States provider landscape includes a wide range of entities and organizations that deliver services to patients.   “Hospitals and large health systems provide acute and specialized care. However, we have also seen these entities expand into outpatient service delivery.   “Independent physician practices and group practices deliver much of the primary and outpatient services that patients rely on every day.   “Although they are not before us in this hearing, I also want to recognize the critical role that federally qualified health centers, rural health clinics, and community hospitals play in our health system, especially in our most rural and underserved areas.   “It is no secret that across the country patients are faced with fewer choices about where they can receive care, as the provider market has consolidated dramatically.    “Hospitals are acquiring physician practices, systems are merging, and too often, patients have little options among providers.     “In many cases, the states that see the most consolidation have the largest rural populations—exacerbating access challenges, leaving communities strained, and contributing to overall unaffordability.   “On top of vertical integration limiting the viability of independent practices, the so-called Affordable Care Act has enabled the landscape to become even more narrow.   “In fact, because of the Affordable Care Act, any existing physician-owned hospital built before 2010 is prohibited from growing beyond the size it was when the bill became law. How does that make sense?   “As a result, many patients face limited provider options in their communities and may encounter higher prices with little insight into the cost of health services.   “At the same time, transparency amongst the health care provider system remains insufficient.   “Prices can vary widely for the same service depending on where care is delivered, and billing statements may include facility fees, multiple providers, and negotiated rates that are difficult for patients to understand.    “Additionally, programs such as the 340B Drug Pricing Program have become opaque and some hospitals have gone against the true intent of the program.    “The 340B Program was created with the intention of helping safety-net providers care for low-income and vulnerable patients; however, as hospitals and larger entities participate and expand affiliated contract pharmacies, visibility has become limited into how the program’s generated discounts are used and whether those savings are reaching patients.   “In many cases, the result of this system is that Americans are left navigating complex, and often expensive, medical bills—whether from a hospital visit or routine appointment—that they did not anticipate, cannot easily afford, and sometimes only learn about weeks or months after receiving care.   “When provider markets lack competition and transparency, prices can rise without patients having the information needed to make cost-conscious decisions.   “Today we will hear from different organizations that represent health care providers across a variety of settings, so that we can look for ways to try and make delivering and receiving care more affordable.    “We have the American Hospital Association in front of us who represents many types of hospitals and health care networks.   “We will also hear from the American Medical Association who represents physicians across the country.   “The American Academy of Family Physicians is here to give the perspective of family medicine practitioners.    “We also have the Purchaser Business Group on Health before us to provide insights into the relationship between private employers and public purchasers.   “We also have a neurosurgeon from the University of California San Francisco to give the perspective of specialty doctors and the care they provide to patients.    “Lastly, we have Barbara Merrill from the American Network of Community Options and Resources.   “These witnesses have unique insights into the factors that are currently leading to the high costs patients are facing when receiving care, and I am looking forward to the discussion.”   ###

Mar 18, 2026
Press Release

Health Subcommittee Scrutinizes Patient Affordability, Competition, and Access Across the U.S. Provider Landscape

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Morgan Griffith (VA-09), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Health, led a hearing titled  Lowering Health Care Costs for All Americans: An Examination of the U.S. Provider Landscape . During the hearing, we heard members express their concerns with how hospital consolidation and lack of price transparency drive up costs for American patients.  “When provider markets lack competition and transparency, prices can rise without patients having the information needed to make cost-conscious decisions,” said Chairman Griffith.   “Today, we heard from different organizations that represent health care providers across a variety of settings, so that we can continue to look for solutions that make delivering and receiving care more affordable.”   Watch the full hearing  here . Below are key excerpts from today’s hearing: Congresswoman Mariannette Miller-Meeks (IA-01):  “ Today’s hearing is critically important because every policy discussion [involves] real patients—employers trying to provide health insurance, families trying to afford care, seniors managing chronic conditions, and providers working to keep their doors open in increasingly complex systems. Over the past decade or so, we’ve seen significant consolidation across the health care system—especially after the passage of the Unaffordable Care Act—and particularly among hospitals and large health systems. At the same time, Medicare physician reimbursement has declined by over 30 percent in inflation-adjusted dollars since 2001. If we continue on the current path, we’re not just cutting payments, we are cutting access. In rural Iowa, we don’t have an excess of providers. When one closes, patients have to drive hours for care. A 2 percent to 3 percent cut in Washington can mean the difference between staying open and shutting down in a small town.” Congressman Cliff Bentz (OR-02):  “It almost seems as though the [physician] shortage gives people an excuse to raise prices. Is that the truth?”  Dr. DiGiorgio:  “I agree.”  Congressman Bentz:  “We’ve heard that in other conversations with various groups. And by the way, the remarks about larger systems resulting in higher quality care at less cost, I have to beg to differ. At least in previous conversations, it appeared that there was a focus on those types of things, while ignoring the amount of money being made on the float by delaying care. I asked that question of UnitedHealthcare when they were here. It was discouraging to hear how many billions of dollars are being made on the float, I must say. And that appears to be something we should be focusing upon.” Congresswoman Erin Houchin (IN-09):  “This is the third hearing we’ve had on affordability. I think it may be the most consequential because the provider landscape is where these issues meet real patients. Doctor Aizuss, in your testimony, you note that practice costs rose roughly 63 percent over the same period that Medicare physician payments declined by roughly 33 percent, putting an increasing strain on independent practices and threatening patients’ access to care—particularly in rural parts of the country. From your perspective, how is this sustained gap affecting patients’ ability to access timely, quality care? What specific actions should Congress take to stabilize physician practices and prevent further disruptions?”  Dr. Aizuss:  “As I’ve noted, the decrease in real payment for Medicare services is accelerating independent physicians to close their offices or to sell their practices to private equity or to be employed by large systems. So, the access is definitely impacted by that. People in their own communities can’t access the private practice physician when they want to. And wait times are increasing significantly. The biggest solution, as I keep emphasizing, is having Medicare payment reform tied to the medical economic index with automatic inflationary updates—just like the other providers are receiving.” ###

Letters

Mar 5, 2026
Health

E&C Leaders Expand Investigation into Medicaid Fraud Nationwide

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Brett Guthrie (KY-02), Chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, Congressman John Joyce, M.D. (PA-13), Chairman of the Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, and Congressman Morgan Griffith (VA-09), Chairman of the Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health, are continuing their ongoing investigation into waste, fraud, and abuse within Medicaid programs by sending letters to ten additional states to request information and documents on the actions each state is taking to strengthen Medicaid program integrity. These requests come amidst reports and law enforcement actions that have demonstrated high levels of Medicaid fraud across numerous states. For example, in Massachusetts, a woman pleaded guilty to fraudulently billing MassHealth for $500,000 in Personal Care Attendant, home health, and adult foster care services after enrolling disabled, elderly, and homeless people in services without their knowledge or consent and billing Medicaid as their caretaker despite not providing these services. In Colorado, two individuals were charged in separate cases for defrauding Health First Colorado’s non-emergency medical transportation (NEMT) program. The first defendant allegedly billed over $1 million in NEMT rides—$400,000 of which were billed for rides for herself and family members, and most of which were not associated with transportation to medical appointments. The second defendant billed Health First Colorado for $3.3 million in NEMT rides, including $283,000 for 64 rides for a single beneficiary, $165,000 of which occurred after the beneficiary had died. In Oregon, a woman was sentenced to federal prison for using stolen identities to submit fraudulent health care claims to Oregon’s Medicaid Program, totaling over $3 million and triggering $1.5 million in fraudulent Medicaid reimbursements. In New York, two individuals involved in a Brooklyn-based scheme involving adult day cares and home health  pleaded guilty   to $68 million in Medicaid fraud over a seven-year period. In addition, two men in Queens who owned adult daycare centers and a pharmacy  were recently charged  with $120 million in alleged Medicaid and Medicare fraud schemes. This included illegal kickbacks to Medicaid recipients to fill prescriptions at their pharmacies and enroll in their adult day care. It’s no secret that Medicaid fraud schemes have possibly cost the program billions of dollars annually across the country. These schemes contribute greatly to rising health care costs and strain our health care system, all at the expense of Medicaid beneficiaries and taxpayers. The Committee on Energy and Commerce is committed to rooting out waste, fraud, and abuse in our government health programs like Medicaid to ensure Americans who need them get the quality, affordable care they deserve. Chairmen Guthrie, Joyce, and Griffith issued the following statements regarding the ongoing investigation: “Fraud shouldn’t be a partisan issue. It's our most vulnerable Americans who are most at risk from fraudsters diverting precious resources intended for critical, needed care , ” said Chairman Guthrie. “ We owe it to our fellow Americans to preserve the Medicaid program for those that need it most, and states have an important role to play in ensuring that Medicaid programs operate with integrity. The Committee will continue to combat rampant waste, fraud, and abuse across the entire country.” "Medicaid was established to ensure the most vulnerable Americans are never left behind. That is why fraud and abuse within Medicaid will not be tolerated. Medicaid fraud robs both taxpayers and patients, and we will pursue it wherever it hides," said Rep. John Joyce, M.D. "Expanding this investigation is part of our responsibility in Congress to ensure that the government upholds the standards it was created to serve. Our Committee will work diligently to strengthen the integrity of the Medicaid system and to ensure that those who engage in fraudulent misuse or abuse are held fully accountable." “Americans support federal health care programs that serve American communities, not fraudsters! Led by the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, this latest series of letters is the next step in our investigations to protect our social safety net programs and secure them for the most vulnerable Americans,” said Rep. Griffith. “Republicans in Congress will continue to do the necessary legwork to investigate allegations of waste, fraud and abuse within our Medicaid system.” BACKGROUND: In January, Congressman Brett Guthrie (KY-02), Chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, Congressman John Joyce, M.D. (PA-13), Chairman of the Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, and Congressman Morgan Griffith (VA-09), Chairman of the Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health, wrote to Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and the Temporary Commissioner of Minnesota’s Department of Human Services, Shireen Gandhi, requesting communications, documents, and information to better understand the ongoing Medicaid fraud occurring in the state of Minnesota and actions the state is taking to strengthen program integrity. On February 3, the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations held a hearing titled Common Schemes, Real Harm: Examining Fraud in Medicare and Medicaid . During this hearing, expert witnesses testified on common examples of Medicaid fraud schemes and the potential scale of fraud in Medicaid programs nationwide. Now, as part of the Committee’s ongoing efforts to address Medicaid fraud, the Committee sent letters to CA , CO , MA , ME , NE , NY , OR , PA , VT , and WA . Each of these states displayed concerning cases of Medicaid fraud over the last several years. The purpose of this investigation is to assess the extent of fraud in state Medicaid programs and understand what states are doing to address the issue and protect the integrity of Medicaid for Americans. Read More About this Ongoing Investigation: CLICK HERE to read the New York Post's exclusive coverage of the letter.

Jan 13, 2026
Press Release

Chairmen Guthrie, Joyce, Griffith, Smith, Schweikert, and Buchanan Ask HHS OIG About Ongoing HHA and Hospice Fraud in Los Angeles County

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Brett Guthrie (KY-02), Chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, Congressman John Joyce, M.D. (PA-13), Chairman of the Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, Congressman Morgan Griffith (VA-09), Chairman of the Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health, Congressman Jason Smith (MO-08), Chairman of the House Committee on Ways and Means, Congressman David Schweikert (AZ-01), Chairman of the Ways and Means Subcommittee on Oversight, and Congressman Vern Buchanan (FL-16), Chairman of the Ways and Means Subcommittee on Health, authored ** a letter ** to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG) requesting a meeting on the concerning evidence detailed in the letter that points to large-scale, ongoing Medicare fraud in Los Angeles County, along with what action is being taken to address the situation.

“The House Committee on Energy and Commerce has an extensive history of digging deeper into matters where program integrity has been compromised. This letter is crucial in our commitment to eliminating waste, fraud, and abuse in federal health care programs,” said Chairmen Guthrie, Joyce, and Griffith. “Republicans have spent much of this Congress furthering legislation to protect our most vulnerable Americans—especially seniors, but our work is not done. Continued oversight is crucial to uphold the integrity of programs that serve our most vulnerable populations. We applaud the ongoing work being conducted by HHS-OIG in cracking down on the fraud that has occurred, and we look forward to addressing the larger-scale scheme that is draining public resources from Americans who need these services the most.”

“Medicare home health and hospice fraud directly undermines the safety and reliability of care for America’s most vulnerable seniors. Auditors have reported an unprecedented jump in home health and hospice fraud in Los Angeles County, California – including one report showing 112 different hospices located at the same physical address. With $1.2 billion in improper payments in home health claims and the Inspector General reporting $198 million in suspected hospice fraud, Gavin Newsom’s California could just as well be another Minnesota,” said Chairman Smith. “The Ways and Means Committee will not hesitate to use our broad oversight authority to get to the bottom of this and protect taxpayers and vulnerable patients against these bad actors.”

BACKGROUND:

Evidence has strongly suggested large-scale Medicare fraud involving home health agencies (HHA) and hospice agencies in Los Angeles County, California, noting that such practices not only drain public resources but also compromise the quality of care provided to patients, especially those most vulnerable populations.

  • The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) found that the 2023 improper payment error rate for home health claims was 7.7 percent, or about $1.2 billion, in 2023.
  • In terms of hospice care, HHS OIG reported suspected hospice fraud to be an estimated $198.1 million in fiscal year (FY) 2023.
  • CMS has placed HHAs as an area of high risk for Medicare fraud.

Emerging concerns over Medicare fraud in the HHAs and hospice sector highlights heightened activity, specifically in Los Angeles County.

  • From 2019 through June 2023, HHAs in the U.S. decreased from 8,838 to 8,280 (6 percent), while, at the same time, HHAs in Los Angeles County increased from 896 to 1,309 (46 percent).
  • More than 1,400 new Los Angeles County HHAs enrolled in Medicare in the last five years, representing over 50 percent of all HHAs in the state of California and nearly 14 percent of all HHAs in the country.

Based on data from the March 2022 California State Auditor’s Report and from HHS on hospice ownership, Los Angeles County had more than 31 percent of the hospice agencies in the U.S. in 2022.

  • There were approximately 58 million seniors in the U.S. in 2022, with Los Angeles County having approximately 1.49 million seniors (2.5 percent).
  • The report highlighted indicators that included a “rapid, disproportionate growth in the number of hospice agencies” and “excessive geographic clustering of hospice agencies,” noting that 112 different licensed hospice agencies were located at the same physical address.
  • State auditors in California estimated that hospice agencies in Los Angeles County likely overbilled Medicare by $105 million in 2019.

These accounts of widespread fraud occurring in Los Angeles County’s HHAs and hospice agencies have raised concerns about whether home health and hospice Accrediting Organizations (AO) are effectively examining such organizations at the time of their enrollment in Medicare.

  • In November 2024, CMS issued a Quality, Safety, and Oversight memo to surveyors, reminding them to closely inspect hospices’ Medicare enrollment documents to understand changes in ownership and location, but neglecting to encourage AOs to pursue other commonsense antifraud measures.

In April 2025, HHS OIG announced that the Office of Audit Services would compile a report for FY 2026 to identify trends, patterns, and comparisons that could indicate potential vulnerabilities related to new Medicare hospice provider enrollments.

In May 2025, the Health Care Fraud Strike Force—a joint task force of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies, including HHS OIG—** announced multiple arrests ** following a multi-year investigation into Armenian Organized Crime, which dismantled five hospices in the greater Los Angeles area.

On November 28, 2025, CMS ** announced ** the Calendar Year 2026 Home Health Prospective Payment System Final Rule, providing comments that suggest an interest in addressing the aforementioned accounts of fraud.

Apr 11, 2025
Press Release

Chairmen Guthrie, Palmer, and Griffith Investigate Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund Grant Recipients

WASHINGTON, D.C. – This week, Congressman Brett Guthrie (KY-02), Chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, Congressman Gary Palmer (AL-06), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, and Congressman Morgan Griffith (VA-09), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Environment, wrote letters to eight Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (GGRF) grant recipients. “The Committee has had concerns about the GGRF program—including the program’s unusual structure and a potential lack of due diligence in selecting award recipients. A recent Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee hearing examined these issues and the speed with which money was pushed out the door by the Biden Administration’s EPA, which raised additional questions about certain GGRF recipients.” said Chairmen Guthrie, Palmer, and Griffith. “ This investigation is key to evaluating whether these funds were awarded fairly and impartially to qualified applicants and determining how the federal funds are being used.” Background:  The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) authorized the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to create and implement a $27 billion GGRF program. Of this appropriation, $20 billion was awarded to just eight grant recipients; with $14 billion awarded to three grant recipients under the National Clean Investment Fund (NCIF) program and $6 billion awarded to five grant recipients under the Clean Communities Investment Accelerator (CCIA) program.    Letters: National Clean Investment Fund Program Recipients Coalition for Green Capital Climate United Fund Power Forward Communities   Clean Communities Investment Accelerator Program Recipients Justice Climate Fund Opportunity Finance Network Inclusiv Native CDFI Network Appalachian Community Capital Read the story here . ###