Health Care Week in Review | President Trump Calls on Congress to Implement "The Great Healthcare Plan"; HHS Reinstates $2 Billion Cuts to SAMHSA

Below is Alston & Bird’s Health Care Week in Review, which provides a synopsis of the latest news in health care regulations, notices, and guidance; federal legislation and congressional committee action; reports, studies, and analyses; and other health policy news. 

Regulations, Notices & Guidance

• On January 12, 2026, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released a rule entitled, Medicare Program; Updates to the Master List of Items Potentially Subject to Face to Face Encounter and Written Order Prior to Delivery and/or Prior Authorization Requirements; Updates to the Required Face-to-Face Encounter and Written Order Prior to Delivery List; and Updates to the Required Prior Authorization List. CMS announced the updated Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System (HCPCS) codes on the Master List of Durable Medical Equipment, Prosthetics, Orthotics and Supplies (DMEPOS) Items Potentially Subject to Face-to-Face Encounter and Written Orders Prior to Delivery and/or Prior Authorization Requirements. CMS also announced updates to the HCPCS codes on the Required Face-to-Face and Written Order Prior to Delivery List and the Required Prior Authorization List.
• On January 12, 2026, CMS released a notice entitled, Opportunity for Hearing on Compliance of Minnesota State Plan Provisions Concerning Program Integrity and Fraud, Waste, and Abuse With Title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act. This notice announces the opportunity for an administrative hearing concerning the finding of the CMS Administrator that the State of Minnesota is substantially out of compliance with federal requirements in section 1902(a)(64) of the Social Security Act and federal regulations at 42 CFR Part 455, Subpart A, which implement various provisions of Title XIX of the Act, including section 1902(a)(4) in administering its Medicaid state plan because the Minnesota Medicaid agency fails to adequately identify, prevent, and address fraud, waste, and abuse in its Medicaid program.
• On January 14, 2026, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released a notice entitled, Annual Update of Poverty Guidelines. This notice provides an update of the HHS poverty guidelines to account for last calendar year’s increase in prices as measured by the Consumer Price Index.

Event Notices

Please note that two asterisks (**) preceding the item indicate a new event. 

• January 21, 2026: the National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced a meeting of the National Advisory Dental and Craniofacial Research Council. This is a virtual meeting with some sessions open to the public.
• January 22, 2026: the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced a meeting of the Tobacco Products Scientific Advisory Committee. This is a hybrid meeting open to the public.
• January 22, 2026: NIH announced a meeting of the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders. This is a virtual meeting open to the public.
• January 23, 2026: the Department of Veterans’ Affairs (VA) announced a meeting of the Cooperative Studies Scientific Evaluation Committee. This is a virtual meeting with some sessions open to the public.
• January 23, 2026: NIH announced a meeting of the National Center for Complementary & Integrative Health. This is a virtual meeting open to the public.
• January 26, 2026: NIH announced a meeting of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health & Human Development. This is a virtual meeting with some sessions open to the public.
• January 27, 2026: NIH announced a meeting of the National Advisory Council for Nursing Research. This is a virtual meeting open to the public.
• January 27, 2026: NIH announced a meeting of the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases. This is a virtual meeting with some sessions open to the public.
• January 27, 2026: NIH announced a meeting of the National Advisory Council on Aging. This is a virtual meeting with some sessions open to the public.
• January 28, 2026: NIH announced a meeting of the National Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Advisory Council. This is a virtual meeting with some sessions open to the public.
• January 28, 2026: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced a meeting of the Subcommittee on Procedures Reviews of the Advisory Board on Radiation and Worker Health. This is a virtual meeting open to the public.
• January 28, 2026: NIH announced a meeting of the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering. This is a virtual meeting with some sessions open to the public.
• January 29, 2026: NIH announced a meeting of the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences. This is a virtual meeting with some sessions open to the public.
• January 29, 2026: NIH announced a meeting of the Office of AIDS Research Advisory Council. This is a virtual meeting open to the public.
• **January 29, 2026: NIH announced a meeting of the Council of Councils. This is a virtual meeting open to the public.
• January 30, 2026: NIH announced a meeting of the NIH Clinical Center Research Hospital Board. This is a hybrid meeting open to the public.
• **February 3, 2026: NIH announced a meeting of the National Institute on Drug Abuse. This is a hybrid meeting with some sessions open to the public.
• February 6, 2026: NIH announced a meeting of the National Advisory Council on Minority Health and Health Disparities. This is a virtual meeting open to the public.
• February 6, 2026: NIH announced a meeting of the National Cancer Advisory Board Ad hoc Working Group on Extramural Research Concepts and Programs. This is a hybrid meeting open to the public.
• **February 6, 2026: HHS announced a Tribal consultation on the proposed rule entitled, Modifications to the HIPAA Privacy Rule to Support, and Remove Barriers to, Coordinated Care and Individual Engagement. This is a virtual meeting open to the public.
• February 8-10, 2026: NIH announced a meeting of the National Institute of Environmental Sciences. This is a hybrid meeting with some sessions open to the public.
• February 9-10, 2026: NIH announced a meeting of the Fogarty International Center Advisory Board. This is a hybrid meeting with some sessions open to the public.
• February 9-10, 2026: NIH announced a meeting of the National Library of Medicine. This is a virtual meeting with some sessions open to the public.
• February 10, 2026: FDA announced a roundtable discussion with small tobacco product manufacturers to solicit input on premarket tobacco product application (PMTA) submissions for electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) products. This is a hybrid meeting open to the public.
• February 11, 2026: NIH announced a meeting of the National Advisory Neurological Disorders and Stroke Council. This is a virtual meeting open to the public.
• February 13, 2026: NIH announced a meeting of the National Advisory Eye Council. This is a virtual meeting open to the public.
• **February 19, 2026: CDC announced a meeting of the Advisory Board on Radiation and Worker Health (ABRWH). This is a hybrid meeting open to the public.
• **March 19, 2026: NIH announced a meeting of the Board of Scientific Counselors of the National Cancer Institute. This is a hybrid meeting with some sessions open to the public.
• **March 16, 2026: NIH announced a meeting of the National Cancer Advisory Board. This is a hybrid meeting with some sessions open to the public.
• March 18, 2026: NIH announced a meeting of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. This is a hybrid meeting with some sessions open to the public.
• March 18, 2026: NIH announced a meeting of the National Advisory Mental Health Council. This is a virtual meeting open to the public.
• March 30-31, 2026: NIH announced a meeting of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. This is a hybrid meeting with some sessions open to the public.
• March 30-31, 2026: NIH announced a meeting of the National Institute on Aging. This is a hybrid meeting with some sessions open to the public.
• April 7, 2026: NIH announced a meeting of the Advisory Committee on Research on Women’s Health. This is a hybrid meeting open to the public.
• April 17, 2026: NIH announced a meeting of the National Center for Complementary & Integrative Health. This is a hybrid meeting with some sessions open to the public.
• **April 23, 2026: NIH announced a meeting of the National Library of Medicine Board of Scientific Counselors. This is a hybrid meeting with some sessions open to the public.
• May 4, 2026: NIH announced a meeting of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health & Human Development. This is a hybrid meeting open to the public.
• May 13, 2026: NIH announced a meeting of the National Institute on Aging. This is an in-person meeting with some sessions open to the public.
• May 13, 2026: NIH announced a meeting of the National Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Advisory Council. This is a hybrid meeting with some sessions open to the public.
• June 1-2, 2026: NIH announced a meeting of the Fogarty International Center Advisory Board. This is a hybrid meeting with some sessions open to the public.
• June 5, 2026: NIH announced a meeting of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health & Human Development. This is a hybrid meeting with some sessions open to the public.
• September 10-11, 2026: NIH announced a meeting of the Fogarty International Center Advisory Board. This is a hybrid meeting with some sessions open to the public.
• September 15-16, 2026: NIH announced a meeting of the National Advisory Council on Aging. This is a hybrid meeting with some sessions open to the public.

Reports, Studies & Analyses

• On January 13, 2026, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released a report entitled, The Opioid Crisis: Federal Policy Approaches to Reduce Supply, Demand, and Harm. CBO analyzed federal policy approaches aimed at addressing the ongoing opioid crisis in the U.S., focusing on how different strategies could reduce opioid misuse, overdoses, and mortality while assessing associated budgetary effects. The report identifies three broad categories of federal interventions: (1) efforts to prevent misuse; (2) policies to expand access to treatment and recovery services; and (3) measures intended to reduce harm and overdose deaths. For prevention, CBO considered interventions such as prescription monitoring programs and education campaigns that aim to reduce inappropriate opioid prescribing and discourage initial misuse. For treatment domain, CBO discussed policies to broaden access to medication-assisted treatment and examined behavioral health services for their potential to improve recovery outcomes. Finally, harm-reduction strategies — including wider availability of overdose-reversing medications like naloxone and support for syringe service programs — were assessed for their ability to decrease fatal overdoses and transmission of infectious diseases. CBO’s analysis also includes data trends related to opioid-involved overdose deaths, providing context for how the crisis has evolved in recent years.
• On January 15, 2026, the RAND Corporation released a report entitled, Clarity and Consistency in Government-Funded Implementation Strategies Associated with Greater Evidence-Based Practice Reach. The report examined how differences in government funding strategies affect the implementation reach of evidence-based practices (EBPs) within publicly funded substance use treatment initiatives. Using a mixed-method comparative case study of 19 U.S. states funded to implement the Adolescent Community Reinforcement Approach (A-CRA)—an evidence-based intervention for youth substance use—the researchers analyzed variations in how extensively certified providers delivered the practice. The study found that states with greater clarity, specificity, and intentionality in implementation requirements and stronger efforts to address common barriers (such as provider turnover and leadership support) tended to achieve higher EBP reach than states with less structured strategies. The findings suggest that more consistent and explicit implementation planning in government-funded initiatives may improve the delivery of evidence-based services. 

Hearings & Markups

• On January 13, 2026, the House Committee on Ways and Means held a hearing entitled, Trade Subcommittee Hearing on Maintaining American Innovation and Technology Leadership. Witnesses included: The Honorable Andrei Iancu, Co-Chair, Council for Innovation Promotion; Ms. Anissa Brennan, Senior Vice President of Global Policy and Federal Affairs, Motion Picture Association; and Mr. Dan Mauer, Government Affairs Director, Communication Workers of America.
• On January 13, 2026, the House Oversight and Government Committee held a hearing entitled, Curbing Federal Fraud: Examining Innovative Tools to Detect and Prevent Fraud in Federal Programs. Witnesses included: Mr. Ken Dieffenbach, Executive Director, Pandemic Response Accountability Committee; Ms. Renata Miskell, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Accounting Policy & Financial Transparency, U.S. Department of Treasury’s Bureau of Fiscal Service; and Mr. Sterling Thomas, Chief Scientist, U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO).
• On January 14, 2026, the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions (HELP) held a hearing entitled, Protecting Women: Exposing the Dangers of Chemical Abortion Drugs. Witnesses included: The Honorable Elizabeth Murrill, Attorney General of Louisiana; Dr. Monique Chireau Wubbenhorst, Senior Fellow, de Nicola Center for Ethics and Culture, University of Notre Dame and Adjunct Professor, Indiana University School of Medicine; and Dr. Nisha Verma, Fellow, Physicians for Reproductive Health.
• On January 14, 2026, the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee held a hearing entitled, Reevaluating the Rating Schedule: Examining VA’s Efforts to Modernize Disability Benefits. Witnesses included: Ms. Nina Tann, Executive Director, Veterans’ Benefits Administration, VA; Dr. Ulia Sokol, Veterans’ Benefits Administration, VA; Ms. Elizabeth Curda, Director, GAO; Mr. Phillip Armour, Senior Economist, RAND; and Dr. Kyleanne Hunter, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America.
• On January 15, 2026, the Senate HELP Committee held an executive session to evaluate the following legislation: S.1157, Women and Lung Cancer Research and Preventive Services Act of 2025; S.2169, Rural Hospital Cybersecurity Enhancement Act; S.272, Protect Infant Formula from Contamination Act; and S.921, Tyler’s Law.

Other Health Policy News

• On January 13, 2026, the Republican Study Committee (RSC) released its Reconciliation 2.0 Framework, outlining proposed reforms for a future reconciliation bill. The measure would follow the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), which passed on July 4, 2025. Reconciliation allows certain budget-related legislation to pass the Senate with a simple majority, avoiding the usual 60‑vote threshold.
  
  The framework proposes implementing site-neutral policies on hospital Medicaid billing. It also includes provisions such as public charge rule codification; further restrictions on immigrants’ ability to access public benefits; changing population-based federal disbursements to reflect only citizens; and changes to health plan availability and health savings accounts (HSAs).
  
  The proposed RSC Reconciliation 2.0 Framework can be found here.
• On January 14, 2026, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), an HHS agency, reinstated nearly $2 billion in substance use disorder recovery and mental health grants that had been abruptly canceled the previous day. Roughly 2,000 organizations received the initial termination notices, in which SAMHSA stated that it was “adjusting its discretionary award portfolio, which includes terminating some of its awards, in order to better prioritize agency resources.”
• On January 15, 2026, President Trump released a health care proposal—“The Great Health Plan”—which urges Congress to pass legislation to reduce prescription drug prices, lower insurance premiums, and require more price transparency from insurance companies, hospitals, and physicians. Specifically, the proposal calls on Congress to codify the Administration’s voluntary Most-Favored-Nation (MFN) drug pricing deals, which ensure Americans pay no more than other nations with similar economies for certain prescription drugs. The proposal also calls for funding the cost-sharing reduction (CSR) program within the Affordable Care Act (ACA), which CBO reports will reduce the most common ACA Marketplace plan premiums by over 10 percent.
  
  The proposal also calls on insurance companies to publish rate and coverage comparisons on their websites in “plain English”; publish rate and coverage comparisons upfront; and disclose how much of revenues go towards paying claims versus overhead costs and profits. Finally, the proposal requires any provider or insurer who accepts Medicare or Medicaid to post their pricing and fees and ensure insurance companies are complying with price transparency requirements.
  
  The full White House announcement can be found here. A fact sheet can be found here.
• On January 15, 2026, a bill extending the Acute Hospital Care at Home (AHCAH) waivers for five years was hotlined in the Senate. Under the hotlining process, a bill may advance quickly unless a Senator objects. The House unanimously passed the Hospital Inpatient Services Modernization Act, which would extend the program for five years, on December 1, 2025.
  
  The House-passed bill text can be found here.

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