Government Shutdown Averted for Second Time as Society Advocates to Fund Health, Research Programs With the clock running out on a federal government shutdown that was to begin midnight November 17, Congress passed a short-term bill to keep the government open. The bill will fund most health programs, including the National Institutes of Health (NIH),...
Endocrine Society Continues to Advocate for Insulin Affordability
The Endocrine Society continues to advocate for insulin affordability. Although new legislation to make insulin more affordable has been stalled in Congress, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) continues to advance a program to implement drug price negotiations to lower the cost of certain prescription drugs, including several diabetes medications. CMS recently hosted...
Four Diabetes Drugs Included in Medicare Price Negotiation List
In September, the federal government unveiled a list of the first 10 drugs that will undergo price negotiations between Medicare and pharmaceutical companies. Notably, four of these drugs are diabetes medications. New prices for these medicines will be announced in September 2024 and new prices will take effect on January 1, 2026, unless pharmaceutical companies...
Society Hosts Congressional Briefing on Anti-Obesity Medications as TROA Moves Forward in the House
The Endocrine Society hosted a congressional briefing in September to educate members of Congress and congressional staff on anti-obesity medications. The briefing featured two Endocrine Society members who are experts in obesity medicine. Jonathan Purnell, MD, professor of medicine at Oregon Health & Science University, provided attendees with an opportunity to learn more about these...
Endocrine Society Supports Proposed MPFS Payment Increase for Endocrinology
The Endocrine Society responded to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) proposed Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS) by advocating to maintain increase for endocrinology. This annual rule updates payment policies and payment rates for Part B services furnished under the MPFS. Every year, CMS requests public comment on its proposed changes. We are pleased that the proposed...
While Congress avoided the U.S. defaulting on its loans and an international financial disaster by reaching a deal to suspend the country’s the debt limit, the deal included budget caps that will dramatically affect federal spending for the next two years. This agreement on budget caps now extends to congressional decisions on the annual appropriations...
SDP Legislation Advances in Congress; Society Leads Diabetes Community in Support of Program
In June, legislation to reauthorize the Special Diabetes Program (SDP) advanced in Congress and the Endocrine Society played a leading role in advocating for the legislation. Introduced in both the House and Senate, this legislation would reauthorize both components of the program through December 2025. The House Energy and Commerce Committee unanimously approved a House...
Society Successfully Leads Effort to Protect Access to Gender-Affirming Care at AMA Annual Meeting
The American Medical Association (AMA) House of Delegates unanimously passed a resolution sponsored by the Endocrine Society to protect access to evidence-based gender-affirming care for transgender and gender-diverse individuals. The Endocrine Society partnered with the American Association of Clinical Endocrinology (AACE), the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM), and the Medical Student Section of the...