As of this posting, the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate are not close to agreement on an appropriations bill that would fund the Department of Health and Human Services, the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and other federal health agencies for fiscal year 2026, which begins on October 1. Consequently, a partial federal government shutdown is in progress as of Monday Oct. 6, 2025.
Congress is required to fund the federal government by September 30. In September, with the funding deadline looming, Democrats and Republicans could still not agree on final funding numbers and were at odds over specific policy provisions that included adding funding for security for the White House, Supreme Court, and Congress in the wake of violent incidents; extending tax subsidies for people who obtain health insurance from the Affordable Care Act; and restoring cuts to Medicaid. On September 19, the House passed a short-term funding bill to continue funding the NIH and other health agencies (as well as other parts of the federal government), but the Senate could not pass the House-passed, Republican-led measure. The Senate subsequently tried to pass a Democratic alternative, but that failed as well. Then, both chambers recessed until October 1 leaving no time to negotiate a compromise.
Funding for the NIH is a top priority of the Endocrine Society. As a result of our advocacy, the bills that were under development in both the House and Senate stripped away harmful provisions including arbitrary caps on indirect costs, imposing a massive restructuring of the NIH, and forward funding of grants.
In September, the Society ramped up its advocacy to urge Congress to protect the NIH and complete the appropriations process. On September 18, the Endocrine Society joined over 400 scientific, medical, and patient advocacy organizations to rally for medical research and visit congressional offices and to urge them to protect NIH funding. We also launched a new online advocacy campaign to amplify our Hill Day message. In addition, we led a group of over seventy scientific, medical professional, and patient advocacy organizations in urging Congress to protect the NIH.
We will continue to keep our members informed. Please visit www.endocrine.org/advocacy/take-action for the latest update.
Endocrine Society Continues Advocacy to Support the Treat and Reduce Obesity Act (TROA)
The Endocrine Society is urging Members of Congress to cosponsor the Treat and Reduce Obesity Act (TROA). This legislation would allow Medicare to cover FDA-approved anti-obesity-medications (AOM) which are scientifically proven to be effective, and to expand access to Intensive Behavioral Therapy (IBT) for Obesity which is an effective lifestyle intervention for treating obesity.
The Society has endorsed this legislation, and it is critical that your senators and representatives hear from you about the importance of cosponsoring TROA. Endocrine Society members are encouraged to take action to share the importance of cosponsoring this legislation. Visit www.endocrine.org/advocacy/take-action to join our campaign.
Endocrine Society Submits Comments on the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Proposed Rule
The Endocrine Society submitted comments to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) regarding the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS) proposed rule for Calendar Year 2026. This rule, which is published annually, updates the payment policies and payment rates for Part B services furnished under the MPFS. This year’s rule has an increase of approximately 3% for endocrinology, but that increase is negated by other policies in the rule that put downward pressure on physician payment. Our letter encourages CMS to work with Congress to develop solutions to provide long-term sustainability to the MPFS. The Society has urged Congress to pass legislation providing an annual inflationary update to the MPFS tied to the Medicare Economic Index (MEI).
The rule includes a proposal to change the methodology for the allocation of indirect practice expense (PE) within the physician payment formula, which would decrease the portion of the facility PE relative value units (RVU). The Society urged CMS not to finalize this proposal and expressed concerns about how this would impact our members in private practice and our members who practice in larger institutions but still incur indirect costs such as paying rent and other costs associated with billing and scheduling. The rule also proposes to reduce the work RVUs for non-time-based services provided by physicians. The agency argues that this proposal is necessary because the onset of medical technology has automatically improved efficiency. We also urged CMS to not finalize this proposed change noting that because of the onset of various diabetes technologies including continuous glucose monitors (CGMs) and insulin pumps, endocrinologists need more time to analyze and review diabetes-related data at each patient visit.
The rule also includes a Request for Information (RFI) on the prevention and management of chronic disease. We expressed our concerns about the ongoing obesity epidemic and urged the agency to find ways to remove barriers in accessing obesity treatment and care including intensive behavioral therapy (IBT). We also commented on proposed changes to the Medicare Diabetes Prevention Program (MDPP) supporting the agency’s proposal to expand virtual care options for beneficiaries with prediabetes. The Endocrine Society staff worked closely with the Clinical Affairs Core Committee (CACC) to draft our comments.
Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) Commission Releases Strategy Focused on Children
The Make America Healthy Again Commission (MAHA Commission) released the Make Our Children Healthy Again Strategy on September 9.The MAHA Commission is tasked with investigating and addressing the root causes of America’s escalating health crisis, with a focus on childhood chronic diseases. The Strategy outlines 120 initiatives focused on factors like diet, environmental contaminants, lack of physical activity, and “overmedicalization” to align to Secretary of Health & Human Services Robert F. Kennedy’s policy priorities and strengthen private-sector collaboration.
The strategy report has drawn mixed reactions from researchers and public health advocates who note that its goals stand at odds with other recent administration moves such as cuts to food assistance, Medicaid programs, scientific research, and Kennedy’s push for changes in vaccine policy. Many also noted that while they agree that the rise in chronic diseases must be addressed, the strategy report offered few details or specific legislative efforts.
Several topics and proposals in the MAHA strategy focus on policy issues of importance to the Endocrine Society. Some examples of where the report is consistent with Endocrine Society policies and areas where we disagree are below.
- Regarding chemicals, we were pleased to see that the strategy references the importance of cumulative/mixture exposures, which often are not accounted for in regulatory strategies. It also is consistent with our view that childhood is a uniquely sensitive life stage, including endocrine disruption and it cites the Endocrine Society’s Scientific Statement on Endocrine-disrupting Chemicals (EDCs). The strategy report also notes the health effects of phthalates and bisphenols. However, the strategy report argues against regulation of pesticides and fails to note that federal funding of science is the best way to gather unbiased results.
- In sections focused on childhood behavior and the “overmedicalization” of kids, the strategy report highlights the connection between nutrition/physical fitness and obesity and diabetes. It also proposes to increase oversight of direct-to-consumer advertising violations related to prescription drug advertising laws and notes that this will include social media influencers and telehealth companies, an issue the Society has also raised concerns about. However, the strategy report also repeats inaccurate information about vaccines, which the Society has joined with other medical professional societies to protect.
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