Legislation affecting Social Security and Medicare: August 22, 2025 – October 9, 2025

Republicans continue to behave as if Social Security and Medicare are entitlements. Grrr. - Post in chronological order. Buildup to the shutdown.

This includes Social Security benefits, Medicare, and Medicare Advantage. Medicaid is included only if lumped together with Medicare or Social Security. Legislation regarding health matters separate from Social Security, Medicare-Medicare Advantage, and Medicaid is handled in a separate post.

Note: I usually like to break these long legislative posts down by either topic (e.g. Medicare, Medicare Advantage) or by type (legislation, resolutions, executive communications). But since this particular post moves from late August to the end of the first week of October, I left it in chronological order.

I was fascinated by the build-up to the shutdown…

H.R.5031 - Preserving Patient Access to Long-Term Care Pharmacies Act. To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to temporarily provide for long-term care pharmacy supply fees in connection with the dispensing of certain drugs.

Introduced August 22, 2025 by Beth Van Duyne (R-TX). Five Democratic and four Republican cosponsors.

This bill would establish fees for 2026 and 2027 that long-term care pharmacies would receive from PDP (Medicare’s prescription drug plans, that is, Plan D), along with enforcement penalties should the PDP fail to remit those fees to the long-term care pharmacies. Further, the GAO would be required to conduct a study of differences between generics and brand-name drugs, as well as dispensing fees, to determine a fair fee for 2028 and beyond.

August 27, 2025 release of June 13, 2024 transcript. “Medicare and Social Security: Examining Solvency and Impacts to the Federal Budget.” PDF version.

I remain eternally frustrated by Republicans such as Chair Jodey Arrington (R-TX) beginning a conversation about Social Security by making it a “budget” line item. From his opening statement: I was encouraged also that, and that I give my Ranking Member as much credit as anybody, that we were going to try to work together as much as we can, where we can find agreement to fix a budget process that has failed us and is failing, I should say, maybe to motivate Members to do what every American family, business, state and local government has to do, and that’s develop a budget, enforce the budget if you will, live within your means. That’s just not happening in Washington, and it hasn’t happened.

Take a stroll down memory lane and read what the Social Security Administration’s historian wrote on December 17, 1998, on the topic of inter-fund borrowing.

EC1800 – August 29, 2025. From the Secretary, Department of Health and Human Services, transmitting written notification of the determination that a public health emergency exists and has existed in the State of Texas since July 2, 2025. To the Committee on Energy and Commerce.

No! Really? (End sarcasm.)

H.R.5081 - Telehealth Modernization Act. To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to extend certain telehealth flexibilities under the Medicare program.

Introduced September 2, 2025 by Earl Carter (R-GA). Cosponsored by three Democrats and no Republicans. Extends Medicare coverage for telehealth – with special focus on rural areas. I don’t think most people realize that Medicare coverage of telehealth services expired on September 30, 2025. This legislation would extend it to September 30, 2027.

Why not just make it permanent?

H.R.5094 - Protect Patients from Costly Care Act. To repeal changes to Medicaid cost sharing requirements and the exclusion for orphan drugs under the Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program.

Introduced September 2, 2025 by Chris Pappas (D-NH). Cosponsored by nine Democrats and no Republicans.

Section 71120 is covered in the October 9, 2025 Medicaid post.

The orphan drug issue means that those medications will not be subject to price negotiation. Which of course means you and I will pay more. When searching for information about Section 71203 of Public Law 119-21, I ran across the CDC’s Web site. They have a section on this topic. And it’s clear that whoever’s in charge of their site has drunk the Kool-Aid. Read their explanation… which makes it sound like Trump only wants the best for Americans.

H.R.5120 - HANDS Act (Hospitals As Naloxone Distribution Sites Act). To amend titles XVIII and XIX of the Social Security Act and title 10, United States Code, to provide no-cost coverage for the preventive distribution of opioid overdose reversal drugs.

Introduced September 3, 2025 by Brittany Pettersen (D-CO). Jennifer Kiggans (R-VA) and Nikki Budzinski (D-IL) cosponsored. Very simple bill that does what it says. Pettersen and Kiggans further delineated what “no cost” means: No cost to uninsured, Medicare, Medicare Advantage, Medicaid, or someone with private health insurance. No cost. Period.

H.R.5127 - PrEP and PEP are Prevention Act. To amend title XXVII of the Public Health Service Act, titles XVIII, XIX, and XXI of the Social Security Act, and title 5, United States Code, to require no-cost coverage of certain HIV prevention services.

Introduced September 4, 2025 by Maxine Waters (D-CA). Cosponsored by thirty-one Democrats and no Republicans.

Similar to Pettersen’s bill H.R.5120, Waters proposes no-cost HIV prevention services. She too ensured that it’s understand that no cost is no cost: No cost to uninsured, Medicare, Medicare Advantage, Medicaid, or someone with private health insurance. She added provisions that HIV prevention services will not require preauthorization, are not subject to coinsurance, are not subject to Medicare Part B deductibles, and more.

These bills are smart. Cheaper to offer Naloxone and HIV prevention than it is to pay for hospitalization or E.R. (especially trauma) visits.

H.R.5142 - Home Health Stabilization Act of 2025. To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to ensure stability in payments to home health agencies under the Medicare program.

Introduced September 4, 2025 by Kevin Hern (R-OK). Cosponsored by five Democrats and four Republicans. Very technical bill. If you have insight, please comment!

From the bill: SPECIAL RULE FOR 2026 AND 2027.—For 2026 and 2027, the Secretary shall provide for a positive adjustment to the standard prospective payment amount to fully offset the –4.059 percent Permanent Adjustment Factor and the –5.0 percent Temporary Adjustment Factor applied to the calendar year 2026 national, standardized 30-day period payment rate in the proposed rule entitled, ‘Medicare and Medicaid Programs; Calendar Year 2026 Home Health Prospective Payment System (HH PPS) Rate Update; Requirements for the HH Quality Reporting Program and the HH Value-Based Purchasing Expanded Model; Durable Medical Equipment, Prosthetics, Orthotics, and Supplies (DMEPOS) Competitive Bidding Program Updates; DMEPOS Accreditation Requirements; Provider Enrollment; and Other Medicare and Medicaid Policies’ published in the Federal Register on July 2, 2025 (90 Fed. Reg. 29108). Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Secretary may implement this clause by program instruction or otherwise.

SPECIAL RULE FOR 2026 AND 2027.—For 2026 and 2027, the Secretary shall establish the national, standardized 30-day period payment rate based on the 2025 rate, taking into account the adjustment under clause (iv) and updated based on all other provisions of this section, except that such rate for 2026 or 2027 shall not be further adjusted based on clause (ii) or clause (iii).

H.R.5197 - Protect Beneficiaries from Middlemen Act. To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to limit cost sharing for drugs under the Medicare program.

Introduced September 8, 2025 by Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY). No cosponsors. Recognizes the impact on prescription prices when a “middleman” is involved and seeks to limit that practice to ensure lower drug prices for Medicare Part D.

Alert dated September 10, 2025. September 16, 2025 meeting. 2:00PM(EDT). Virtue Signaling vs. Vital Services: Where Tax-Exempt Hospitals are Spending Your Tax Dollars. Meeting Details – video only is available. Documents and transcript are not available.

Yep. Shutting down hospitals must be part of the plan.

H.Res.694 - Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services should halt the pilot program and should not jeopardize seniors’ access to critical health care by utilizing artificial intelligence to determine Medicare coverage.

Introduced September 10, 2025 by Greg Landsman (D-OH). Cosponsored by three Democrats and no Republicans.

Whereas, on June 27, 2025, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced a new pilot program through which CMS will contract with for-profit companies to utilize “enhanced technologies”, such as artificial intelligence, to evaluate whether certain services should be covered by Medicare: Now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Representatives that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services should not utilize artificial intelligence to determine whether patients’ procedures will be covered by Medicare.

H.R.5243 - To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to increase data transparency for supplemental benefits under Medicare Advantage.

Introduced September 10, 2025 by Jennifer McClellan (D-VA). No cosponsors.

Interesting. The bill would not have anything to do with pricing or regulations. It would simply require Medicare Advantage plans to submit to the Secretary of Health and Human Services enrollee-level data on supplemental benefits (by item or service, or category of item or service, as determined appropriate by the Secretary, and national provider identifier), including eligibility for such benefits, the types of benefit categories offered, data on utilization of and payments for such benefits (including the total amount spent by the plan for each enrollee who utilized such benefits and the total out-of-pocket cost per utilization for each enrollee).

And… the part I like best, those reports would be public information for anyone to access.

H.R.5256 - 340B ACCESS Act (340B Affording Care for Communities and Ensuring a Strong Safety-net Act). To amend the Public Health Service Act to reform the 340B drug pricing program.

Introduced September 10, 2025 by Earl Carter (R-GA). Cosponsored by Diana Harshbarger (R-TN).

Very, very long bill. This is something I know little or nothing about, even after reading about it on a Web site entitled 340B Health. I just know that prescription prices make little or no sense, especially since we fund the pharmaceutical research behind the drugs. You’d think they should be free.

H.R.5269 - RESULTS Act (Reforming and Enhancing Sustainable Updates to Laboratory Testing Services Act of 2025). To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide long-term stability for Medicare beneficiary access to clinical diagnostic laboratory tests by improving the accuracy of, and feasibility of data collection for, the private payor-based fee schedule payment rates applied under the Medicare program for such tests.

Introduced September 10, 2025 by Richard Hudson (R-NC). Cosponsored by twelve Democrats and nine Republicans.

From the bill: As soon as practicable after the date of enactment of this clause [1/1/2028], the Secretary shall identify and enter into a contract with a qualifying independent claims data entity for the purpose of, with respect to widely available non-ADLT clinical diagnostic laboratory tests furnished during a data collection period, such entity reporting to the Secretary applicable information from a qualifying comprehensive claims database of the entity for such tests for which final payment is made under this part during the year in which such data collection period occurs and for which there is applicable information within such database for such period. …

In the case of a clinical diagnostic laboratory test for which payment is made under this subsection, the Secretary shall make available to the public an explanation of the payment rate for such test, including any supporting data as may be necessary for a laboratory to assess the accuracy of the calculations.

There’s a great deal of technicality to this proposed legislation.

H.R.5275 - Diagnostic Accuracy in Sepsis Act of 2025. To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to include blood contamination as a hospital acquired condition under the Medicare program.

Introduced September 10, 2025 by Mike Kelly (R-PA). Cosponsored by Angie Craig (D-MN) and Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ).

In addition to defining blood contamination as a “hospital acquired condition” covered by Medicare, the bill would add the following paragraph: BLOOD CULTURE CONTAMINATION MEASURE.—In establishing a measure for blood culture contamination for a subsection (d) hospital for purposes of determining whether such hospital is an applicable hospital under paragraph (2), the Secretary shall so establish such a measure on the basis that the rate of such contamination should not exceed 1 percent.

H.R.5278 - Affordable Inhalers and Nebulizers Act of 2025. To amend title XXVII of the Public Health Service Act, the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, and the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 to reduce patient cost-sharing for prescription drug inhaler products used to treat breathing disorders such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Introduced September 10, 2025 by Kweisi Mfume (D-MD). Cosponsored by twelve Democrats and no Republicans. Intends to substantially lower the cost of prescription drug inhalers for uninsured, as well as those on Medicare, Medicare Advantage, Medicaid, or with private health insurance.

H.R.5281 - REAL Health Providers Act (Requiring Enhanced and Accurate Lists of Health Providers Act). To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to establish provider directory requirements, and to provide accountability for provider directory accuracy, under Medicare Advantage.

Introduced September 10, 2025 by Jimmy Panetta (D-CA). Cosponsored by three Republicans and two Democrats. OMG, JOHN JOYCE is a cosponsor! Finally, he cosponsors something medical!

Please please pass this bill! Not just for Medicare Advantage. Make it applicable to plain old Medicare as well!

H.R.5284 - Claiming Age Clarity Act. To require the Social Security Administration to make changes to the social security terminology used in the rules, regulation, guidance, or other materials of the Administration.

Introduced September 10, 2025 by Lloyd Smucker (R-PA). Cosponsored by six Republicans and three Democrats.

Before anyone in Pennsylvania gets too excited: This is typical Smucker legislation. It’s semantics. Any place in extant Social Security documentation where the words “early eligibility age” are found, they are to be replaced with “minimum monthly benefit age.” The terms “full retirement age” and “normal retirement age” are replaced with the term “standard monthly benefit age.” And the term “delayed retirement credit” shall not be used and any reference to age 70 as the maximum age up to which delayed retirement credits can be received shall be replaced with the term “maximum monthly benefit age.”

And get this: House of Representatives is shut down, right? Sent home. But, on October 3, 2025, Smucker’s semantics bill passed committee and was placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 283. Sigh.

H.R.5314 - Randy Susen Visitation Rights Act of 2025. To amend titles XVIII and XIX of the Social Security Act to require a skilled nursing facility to permit without restriction visitation by an individual designated by a resident of such facility under the Medicare and Medicaid programs.

Introduced September 11, 2025 by Glenn Grothman (R-WI). Cosponsored by Paul Gosar (R-AZ), Keith Self (R-TX), and Stephanie Bice (R-OK).

Before you get too excited, thinking that this grants common law spouses or a person designated by next of kin to visit – which would be a good application of this bill – it’s not for that purpose.

From Grothman’s Web site: During the COVID-19 pandemic, nursing homes nationwide imposed strict visitation bans in the name of infection control. These policies left many residents cut off from their families, leading to decline and even death in isolation without the comfort of a loved one. Prolonged isolation often leads to steep declines in mental, emotional, and physical health for nursing home residents.

The bill is named in honor of Randy Susen, a resident of Wisconsin’s Sixth District, who passed away during the pandemic after being denied visits from his family. Randy’s health deteriorated rapidly when separated from the people he loved most.

It would have been nice had he addressed the larger issue. Perhaps there will be unintended and good consequences! Meanwhile, it appears that nursing homes and skilled nursing facilities will not be allowed to prevent people from entering rooms of loved ones with highly infectious diseases.

H.Res.704 - Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the Wasteful and Inappropriate Service Reduction Model undermines beneficiary access to health care and should not be implemented.

Introduced September 11, 2025 by Mark Pocan (D-WI). Cosponsored by seventeen Democrats and no Republicans.

The so-called WISeR or Wasteful and Inappropriate Service Reduction Model will increase the number of Medicare services requiring prior authorization by 30%. Further, WISeR will remove most decision-making from Medicare and hand it off to Medicare Advantage companies, even for strict Medicare patients. Pocan et al point out that when WISeR decisions are made by AI — and this is a cornerstone of the Republican WISeR initiative — AI-based decisions are overturned 81.7% of the time (according to Kaiser Family Foundation).

This resolution would require Medicare to terminate the WISeR plan, which is set to go into effect on January 1, 2026. Note that there is no legislation supporting Medicare’s unilateral decision to implement WISeR. They’re just doing it. Pocan et al are seeking to initiate proper policymaking — through Congress.

Alert dated September 12, 2025. September 17, 2025 meeting. 9:30AM(EDT) | 2123 Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, D.C. Examining Policies to Enhance Seniors’ Access to Breakthrough Medical Technologies. Meeting Details – video, list of witnesses, and supporting documentation are available. Transcript is not yet available.

H.R.5433 - POP Act (Patients Over Profit Act). To prohibit health insurance issuers and certain health care providers under Medicare from being under common ownership.

Introduced September 17, 2025 by Val Hoyle (D-OR). Cosponsored by three Democrats and no Republicans.

Very simple bill. It shall be unlawful for any person to both—
(1) directly or indirectly own, operate, or control the whole or any part of an applicable provider or a management services organization that has a management services agreement with an applicable provider; and
(2) directly or indirectly own, operate, or control the whole or any part of a health insurance issuer.

Simple ethics – no conflict of interest!

H.R.5439 - Medically Tailored Home-Delivered Meals Program Pilot Act. To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to establish a Medically Tailored Home-Delivered Meals Program to test a payment and service delivery model under part A of Medicare to improve clinical health outcomes and reduce the rate of readmissions of certain individuals.

Introduced September 17, 2025 by James McGovern (D-MA). Cosponsored by four Democrats and two Republicans (Brian Fitzpatrick-PA and Nicole Malliotakis-NY).

These five Representatives are not proposing budget-busting legislation. It’s a pilot project with forty hospitals providing two meals a day to individuals who have “a diet-impacted disease (such as kidney disease, congestive heart failure, diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or any other disease the Secretary determines appropriate)” and who is not in hospice care. The meals would not be free, but would be subsidized.

McGovern et al submitted this bill as a form of medical research: Medical nutrition therapy.

H.R.5444 - Medical Laboratory Personnel Shortage Relief Act of 2025. To amend the Public Health Service Act to address the shortage of medical laboratory personnel.

Introduced September 17, 2025 by Deborah Ross (D-NC). Cosponsored by Jennifer Kiggans (R-VA).

As other bills have done with nurse practitioners or physician’s assistants, this proposed legislation tries to expand the pool of lab personnel with grants to schools providing this training as well as student loan forgiveness programs to those who graduate and serve. This would apply to “phlebotomists, medical laboratory assistants, histotechnologists, laboratory scientists, laboratory technicians, and genetic counselors.”

H.J.Res.123 - Providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services relating to “Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act; Marketplace Integrity and Affordability.”

Introduced September 17, 2025 by Emilia Strong Sykes (D-OH). Cosponsored by thirty-one Democrats and not one damn Republican.

Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That Congress disapproves the rule submitted by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services relating to “Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act; Marketplace Integrity and Affordability” (90 Fed. Reg. 27074 (June 25, 2025)), and such rule shall have no force or effect.

EC1949 – September 17, 2025. From the Regulations Coordinator, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Department of Health and Human Services, transmitting the Department’s Major final rule - Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act; Marketplace Integrity and Affordability. To the Committee on Energy and Commerce.

EC1950 – September 17, 2025. From the Regulations Coordinator, Department of Health and Human Services, transmitting the Department’s interim final rule - Administrative Simplification: Modifications of Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA), National Council for Prescription Drug Programs (NCPDP) Retail Pharmacy Standards; and Modification of the Medicaid Pharmacy Subrogation Standard; Updates to Compliance and Other Related Dates. To the Committee on Energy and Commerce.

EC1953 – September 17, 2025. From the Assistant Secretary for Legislation, Department of Health and Human Services, transmitting the Department’s Fiscal Year 2024 Federal Coordinated Health Care Office-Medicare-Medicaid Coordination Office Report to Congress. To the Committees on Energy and Commerce and Ways and Means.

H.R.5448 - Protecting Free Vaccines Act. To require coverage of certain immunizations recommended by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices under the Medicare program, the Medicaid program, the Children’s Health Insurance Program, group health plans, and health insurance coverage.

Introduced September 18, 2025 by Frank Pallone (D-NJ). Cosponsored by forty-seven Democrats.

From the bill: With respect to plan years occurring during the date of the enactment of this section, or beginning on or after the date of the enactment of this section and before January 1, 2030, a group health plan and a health insurance issuer offering group or individual health insurance coverage shall provide coverage for and shall not impose any cost sharing requirements for immunizations that had in effect a recommendation from the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention with respect to the individual involved as of October 25, 2024, including such an immunization as updated or changed after that date under a supplement to a biologics license application approved by the Food and Drug Administration.

H.R.5454 - Medicare Advantage Prompt Pay Act. To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to apply improved prompt payment requirements to Medicare Advantage organizations.

Introduced September 18, 2025 by Jodey Arrington (R-TX). Cosponsored by Linda Sánchez (D-CA), Marc Veasey (D-TX), and Carol Miller (R-WV).

From the bill: A contract under this part between the Secretary and a Medicare Advantage organization offering a Medicare Advantage plan shall require the organization to provide prompt payment for not less than 95 percent of clean claims submitted to the organization, with respect to covered items or services furnished to enrollees by a provider of services or supplier, within the applicable number of calendar days after the date of initial receipt of such clean claim, regardless of whether such items or services are furnished under a contract between the organization and the provider of services or supplier.

H.R.5467 - PAAT Act (Patient Access to Autoimmune Treatments Act). To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to require coverage of drugs for autoimmune diseases and certain blood disorders under Medicare part D.

Introduced September 18, 2025 by Julie Johnson (D-TX). Cosponsored by Mike Kennedy (R-UT).

This would cover drugs prescribed for the treatment of an autoimmune disease, hemophilia, or Von Willebrand disease. Additionally, preauthorization may not be required by the Medicare Advantage provider more than once in a twelve-month period unless such drug is—

(A) typically used for a period of 12 months or less;
(B) an opioid, a benzodiazepine, a barbiturate, or carisoprodol; or
(C) a drug with respect to which a risk evaluation and mitigation strategy is required under Section 505–1 of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.

H.R.5488 - Special Diabetes Program for Indians Reauthorization Act of 2025. To amend title III of the Public Health Service Act to extend funding for the Special Diabetes Program for Indians.

Introduced September 18, 2025 by Raul Ruiz (D-CA). Cosponsored by Jay Obernolte (R-CA), Diana DeGette (D-CO), and Gwen Moore (D-WI).

The original bill expired September 30, 2025. This reauthorization would extend it at $160 million per year through September 30, 2030.

H.R.5496 - HEALTH Act of 2025 (Helping Ensure Access to Local TeleHealth Act of 2025). To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for permanent payments for telehealth services furnished by federally qualified health centers and rural health clinics under the Medicare program.

Introduced September 18, 2025 by Glenn Thompson (R-PA). Cosponsored by Jill Tokuda (D-HI).

Medicare coverage of telehealth services expired on September 30, 2025. This legislation would make telehealth services permanently covered by Medicare and Medicare Advantage.

H.R.5554 - Stand Strong for Medicare Act of 2025. To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide coverage for certain fall prevention items under the Medicare program.

Introduced September 23, 2025 by Seth Magaziner (D-RI). No cosponsors.

C’mon people. It would be a lot cheaper to cosponsor and pass Seth’s bill than it would be to pay for ambulance and hospitalization services. Fall prevention services and devices would be covered by Medicare under this bill. From the bill: The term ‘fall prevention items’ includes grab bars, non-slip mats, shower chairs, bed rails, and such other items or categories of items as the Secretary may specify.

Seth added another strong provision at the end of his very-simple bill. Exemption from sequestration.—Notwithstanding any other provision of law, payments for fall prevention items … under the Medicare program shall not be subject to any reduction under a sequestration issued under the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985, the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010, or any other provision law.

EC1978 – September 18, 2025. From the Assistant Secretary for Legislation, Department of Health and Human Services, transmitting the Department’s Annual Report to Congress on the Medicare and Medicaid Integrity Programs for Fiscal Year 2024. To the Committees on Ways and Means and Energy and Commerce.

H.R.5571 - Expanding Seniors’ Access to PFAS Testing Act. To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide no-cost coverage for PFAS testing under the Medicare program.

Introduced September 26, 2025 by Debbie Dingell (D-MI). Cosponsored by Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA).

From the bill: The term ‘PFAS testing’ means a blood test ordered by a physician to determine the concentration of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances.

H.R.5583 - Promoting Permanency Through Kinship Families Act. To amend parts B and E of title IV of the Social Security Act to remove barriers and encourage kinship guardianship, foster, or adoptive placements for children who cannot be safely cared for in their own homes.

Introduced September 26, 2025 by Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-CA). Cosponsored by Gwen Moore (D-WI) and Mary Gay Scanlon (D-PA).

Why is this a “Democratic” bill? Rep. Kamlager-Dove put together a thorough and meaningful bill to address “kinship guardianship” and related issues. Her Section 2, Findings and Purposes, is worth reading in its entirety if this is a topic that interests you. There’s a PhD dissertation in this legislation.

H.Res.771 - Expressing support for the designation of September 2025 as “National Kinship Care Month.”

Introduced September 26, 2025 by Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-CA). Cosponsored by Don Bacon (R-NE), Gwen Moore (D-WI), Zachary Nunn (R-IA), Mary Gay Scanlon (D-PA), and Erin Houchin (R-IN).

As with Kamlager-Dove’s bill, H.R.5583, this resolution is almost must-reading.

H.R.3006 - To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to limit the coinsurance amount for certain services furnished in an ambulatory surgical center.

Introduced on April 24, 2025 by Mike Kelly (R-PA). Cosponsored by six Democrats and four Republicans. JOHN JOYCE cosponsored on September 30, 2025. Therefore a September 30 alert.

From the bill: In the case that application of subsection (a)(1)(G) would result in the imposition of a coinsurance amount with respect to facility services described in such subsection furnished during a year with respect to a surgical procedure that exceeds the amount of the inpatient hospital deductible established under section 1813(b) for such year, the Secretary shall—
(1) reduce the amount of such coinsurance to an amount equal to such deductible; and
(2) pay to the supplier furnishing such services an amount equal to such reduction.

H.R.5644 - To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to establish new payment rules for certain catastrophic specialty hospitals under the Medicare program.

Introduced September 30, 2025 by Barry Loudermilk (R-GA). Cosponsored by three Democrats and one Republican. Text is not yet available.

H.R.5647 - To amend subpart 1 of part B of title IV of the Social Security Act to require States, as a condition of Federal support for child welfare services programs, to facilitate access to advocates and advocacy resources for parents in any child welfare case or interaction involving a child of the parent.

Introduced September 30, 2025 by Barry Moore (R-AL). No cosponsors. Text is not yet available.

H.R.5671 - To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to eliminate the coinsurance requirement for certain colorectal cancer screening tests furnished under the Medicare program.

Introduced September 30, 2025 by Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ). Cosponsored by Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) and Troy Carter (D-LA).

EC2062 – September 30, 2025. From the Assistant Secretary for Legislation, Department of Health and Human Services, transmitting “Fiscal Year 2024 Report to Congress: Medicare National Coverage Determinations.” To the Committees on Energy and Commerce and Ways and Means.

EC2106 – October 4, 2025. From the Regulations Coordinator, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Department of Health and Human Services, transmitting the Department’s final rule - Medicare and Medicaid Programs; Contract Year 2026 Policy and Technical Changes to the Medicare Advantage Program, Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit Program, Medicare Cost Plan Program, and Programs of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE)-Finalization of Format Provider Directories for Medicare Plan Finder. To the Committees on Energy and Commerce and Ways and Means.

H.R.5701 - To amend title II of the Social Security Act to modify the 10-year marriage rule relating to spouses and surviving spouses insurance benefits in cases of domestic violence.

Introduced September 7, 2025 by Emilia Strong Sykes (D-OH). No cosponsors. Text is not yet available.

H.Rept.119-329 – Social Security Child Protection Act of 2025. Ref. H.R.5348. PDF version.

The Committee on Ways and Means, to whom was referred the bill (H.R. 5348) to amend title II of the Social Security Act to provide for the reissuance of social security account numbers to young children in cases where confidentiality has been compromised, having considered the same, reports favorably thereon with an amendment and recommends that the bill as amended do pass.

EC2155 – October 8, 2025. From the Senior Regulation Writer, Law and Policy - Regulations and Reports Clearance, Social Security Administration, transmitting the Administration’s final rule - Extension of Expiration Dates for 13 Body System Listings. To the Committee on Ways and Means.

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