The House left town last week to begin its August recess, while the Senate is currently scheduled to be in session through August 7, 2026. The Senate could decide to start recess early, but that depends on how much of its agenda it can get done this week. Focus will largely be on advancing nominations and developing the Senate’s version of a continuing resolution to fund the government beyond the end of the fiscal year, September 30, 2026. The House passed its version of a continuing resolution, extending government funding past the November midterm, before leaving town.
There will be limited healthcare committee action this week. The Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee will mark up 10 bills, including one health information privacy bill. The committee will also vote on the nominations of Erica Schwartz to be director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Sean Kaufman to be US Department of Health and Human Services assistant secretary for preparedness and response. The committee was scheduled to vote on those nominations last week, but had to postpone the vote because of absences on the Republican side.
Even during August recess, conversations on healthcare transparency reform will continue, given that three committees advanced different versions of transparency legislation and lawmakers could consider enacting some reforms in an end-of-year package.
On the regulatory side, we await the release of the 2027 final Medicare Inpatient Prospective Payment System rule, which is expected by July 31, 2026.
If the Senate is in session next week, we will publish a Preview. If it leaves town this week, the Preview will be on hiatus starting next week through August recess.
In this week’s Healthcare Preview, Rodney Whitlock and Debbie Curtis join Erin Fuller to discuss Congress’ continued focus on healthcare transparency, including recent activity in the Senate HELP and House Energy and Commerce and Ways and Means committees, prospects for lame duck action, and what stakeholders should be watching as lawmakers continue working through competing transparency proposals.
