The Anti-Fraud Fund Act of 2026 increases funding for the Health Care Fraud and Abuse Control Account by $7 billion annually from fiscal year 2027 through 2030. This additional money is intended to support the government's efforts in detecting and preventing fraud within the healthcare system. The bill modifies existing laws to ensure these funds are available for the specified period without altering other spending limits.
The TRUTH in Coverage Act of 2026 requires group health plans and health insurance issuers that cover gender-affirming procedures to also cover medical services intended to treat physical and psychological complications resulting from those procedures. This mandate applies regardless of whether the original gender-affirming treatment was covered by the plan and ensures that any required follow-up care faces the same cost-sharing rules and limitations as standard medical benefits. The bill defines "sex-rejecting procedures" broadly to include hormone therapy, surgeries, and puberty blockers, while explicitly excluding treatments for intersex conditions, life-threatening emergencies, and standard puberty suppression for early puberty. These provisions would take effect for plan years beginning on or after January 1, 2027, affecting individuals with access to employer-sponsored or individual health insurance.
The Essential Caregivers Act of 2026 requires nursing homes, long-term care hospitals, rehabilitation facilities, and intermediate care facilities to allow two chosen family members or friends to visit residents during times when regular visitation is suspended. These essential caregivers must agree to follow the facility's existing safety and infection control rules, which are no more restrictive than those applied to staff. While facilities can limit access for the first seven days of a suspension or deny entry if a caregiver shows symptoms of a serious infectious disease, they cannot block visits for end-of-life care. Additionally, the bill mandates that complaints about denied access to essential caregivers be investigated and resolved within three days.
The Preserving Patient Access Act requires health insurance plans to grant special enrollment periods when they remove a doctor from their network or stop covering a specific prescription drug that a patient has used recently. Under this bill, Medicare Advantage and individual market plans must allow individuals to join or switch plans within the same year if their current provider becomes out-of-network after a visit within the last two years or if a covered medication is dropped from the formulary within the last six months. These protections apply to both Medicare Advantage plans and private individual market plans, ensuring that patients can maintain access to their preferred doctors and medications without waiting for the annual open enrollment window. The changes are scheduled to take effect for plan years beginning on or after January 1, 2027.
The PFAS Alternatives Act directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to create grant programs that help develop and train firefighters on using protective gear free from PFAS chemicals. Under this law, eligible nonprofit and educational organizations can receive funding to research next-generation turnout gear that maintains safety standards without relying on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances. The legislation allocates up to $25 million between 2027 and 2031 for research grants and $2 million between 2028 and 2032 for training initiatives, ensuring that new gear designs are tested and that first responders learn proper care and decontamination methods. Additionally, the bill requires the Secretary to submit a progress report to Congress within two years of enactment to track the implementation of these safety improvements.
The Indian Health Service Emergency Claims Parity Act amends existing federal law to change how quickly the Indian Health Service must be notified about emergency medical care. Specifically, it requires that the time limit for reporting such treatment or hospital admission be at least 15 days, provided the care is received from a non-government provider or in a non-government facility. This change applies to Native Americans who receive emergency medical services outside the standard Indian Health Service system. The bill aims to ensure a consistent reporting timeline for these emergency situations, removing the previous distinction that treated elderly or disabled individuals differently in this context.
The Homeopathic Drug Product Safety, Quality, and Transparency Act creates a distinct regulatory category for homeopathic medicines within the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, separating them from conventional drugs that require premarket approval. This legislation mandates that the FDA establish new safety, quality, and labeling standards specifically tailored to homeopathic products, including a requirement to finalize rules on manufacturing practices within three years of enactment. The bill also establishes a temporary advisory committee to provide recommendations on regulation and ensures that products labeled as homeopathic are not subject to false advertising claims if they adhere to traditional homeopathic principles. Additionally, the act clarifies definitions for homeopathic ingredients and updates labeling rules to allow for specific language indicating that intended uses have not been evaluated by the FDA.
The Gambling Disorder Health Study Act directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to conduct research on gambling disorder, a behavioral addiction recognized by the American Psychiatric Association. This initiative aims to fill a current gap in federal oversight by funding studies on the causes, impacts, and treatments of gambling addiction, particularly in light of recent state legalization of sports betting. The program will involve collaboration with various federal agencies, academic institutions, and nonprofit organizations to analyze how different forms of gambling, including online platforms and mobile apps, affect individuals and communities. Findings from this research will be reported annually to Congress, which will then review recommendations for public health actions and policy changes. Funding for these efforts is authorized from 2027 to 2029, based on a percentage of taxes collected from gambling activities.
This bill, titled the Kenya Merritt Renewing our PACT Act of 2026, establishes a legal presumption that specific diseases are caused by exposure to open burn pits and other toxic hazards for certain federal employees. It directly affects workers in departments such as Defense, State, and Homeland Security who spent at least 30 days in foreign contingency operations on or after August 2, 1990. Under the new rules, eligible employees can receive disability or death compensation for listed illnesses without needing to prove that the disease was recorded during their time of exposure. The Secretary of Labor is tasked with maintaining an updated list of covered diseases and submitting a progress report to Congress within one year of the law's enactment.
The Dietary Supplements Access Act allows individuals to use pre-tax funds from Health Savings Accounts, Archer Medical Savings Accounts, and health flexible spending arrangements to purchase dietary supplements. This change permits up to $500 per year, or $250 for married individuals filing separately, to be spent on these items without incurring taxes. The law specifically defines dietary supplements according to federal food and drug standards while excluding energy drinks, soft drinks, and sodas. These tax benefits will only become available for expenses incurred after December 31, 2026.
