![\"President](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/1770168869577.png\")
President signed the bill in the Oval Office on Tuesday- photo White House<\/p>\nPresident signed the bill in the Oval Office on Tuesday- photo White House<\/p>\n
Office of Senator Roger Marshall<\/p>\n
Washington\u00a0\u2013 On Tuesday, President Trump signed the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026,” into law. The legislation advances several key healthcare priorities long championed by Kansas U.S. Senator Roger Marshall, according to a statement from his office.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe legislation provides $418 million for rural health, strengthens our healthcare workforce, maintains critical funding for Community Health Centers, and extends telehealth and hospital-at-home flexibilities that Kansans rely on,\u201d\u00a0said Senator Marshall.\u00a0\u201cIt also invests in maternal and child health, mental health services, and life-saving medical research, while cutting over $100 million in unnecessary HHS bureaucracy.\u201d<\/p>\n
Senator Marshall also emphasized that Republicans stepped in to prevent Medicaid spending from continuing on an unsustainable trajectory that threatened the program\u2019s future.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Prior proposals would have allowed unchecked growth, threatening long-term access for the most vulnerable. This package introduces responsible reforms that protect beneficiaries while ensuring Medicaid remains viable for future generations.<\/p>\n
\u201cMedicaid was on a path to bust \u2013 crowding out care for the truly vulnerable and burdening states and taxpayers,\u201d\u00a0said Senator Marshall.\u00a0\u201cRepublicans fought to protect this vital safety-net program by improving oversight, targeting resources appropriately, and ensuring Medicaid remains available for those who need it most today and for generations to come.\u201d<\/p>\n
Labor, Health and Human Services (L\/HHS) Appropriations Highlights<\/p>\n
The package provides a\u00a0discretionary total of $116.6 billion\u00a0for the Department of Health and Human Services while reducing unnecessary federal bureaucracy by\u00a0over $100 million.<\/p>\n
Senator Marshall championed several of the provisions included in the package. These include:<\/p>\n
$1.9 billion\u00a0to sustain\u00a0Community Health Centers, preserving access to primary care in underserved communities.Streamlined enrollment for eligible out-of-state providers under Medicaid and CHIP to make it easier for people to access care.Preserving telehealth flexibilities through\u00a02027\u00a0and extending hospital-at-home waivers through\u00a0September 2030.Expanding coverage for multi-cancer early detection screening tests.Increasing transparency for pharmacy benefit managers and reigning in predatory practices.Long-term funding for\u00a0Community Health Centers, the\u00a0National Health Service Corps, and\u00a0Teaching Health Center GME programs.Support for preventing maternal deaths, honoring living organ donors, pediatric drug studies, sickle cell disease treatment, lifespan respite care, PREEMIE programs, and the\u00a0Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act.Strengthened oversight of pharmacy benefit management (PBM) services to hold middlemen accountable.<\/p>\n
Other Key investments include:<\/p>\n
$418 million for rural health, increasing support for rural hospitals at risk of closure, and expanding rural residency training opportunities.$1.4 billion\u00a0to strengthen the healthcare workforce and connect providers to rural and underserved areas.$1.2 billion\u00a0for\u00a0maternal and child health, supporting healthier pregnancies and outcomes.$49 billion for the National Institutes of Health (NIH)\u00a0to advance lifesaving medical research.Increased funding for\u00a0mental health and substance use block grants, including Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics.$3.2 billion\u00a0for medical countermeasures to protect against chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear threats\u2014an increase of $73 million.Elimination of the CDC\u2019s\u00a0Social Determinants of Health\u00a0program, refocusing the agency on its core public health mission.<\/p>\n
Health Extenders Package: Strengthening Medicaid and Medicare Medicaid Reforms<\/p>\n
The package includes targeted reforms to Medicaid while improving access and accountability:<\/p>\n
Removal of certain age restrictions for working adults with disabilities.Clear residency and coverage standards for military families.State studies and an HHS report on the cost of maternity, labor, and delivery services.Adjustments to\u00a0Disproportionate Share Hospital (DSH)\u00a0allotments and payment limitations to better reflect hospital needs.<\/p>\n
Medicare Improvements<\/p>\n
The legislation delivers long-term certainty for providers and expanded access for seniors by:<\/p>\n
Extending payment adjustments for\u00a0low-volume hospitals\u00a0and the\u00a0Medicare-Dependent Hospital (MDH) program.Extending add-on payments for ambulance services.Supporting in-home cardiopulmonary rehabilitation.Ensuring continued access to hospice care, outreach for low-income seniors, and quality measurement programs.Covering external infusion pumps and home infusion drugs.Strengthening program integrity for durable medical equipment.Advancing transparency through the\u00a0REAL Health Providers Act.Supporting innovation through wearable device reporting and virtual diabetes prevention programs.<\/p>\n
Public Health Extenders and Programs<\/p>\n
The package extends and strengthens critical public health initiatives, including:<\/p>\n
Extension of\u00a0special diabetes programs\u00a0and national health security initiatives.Continued implementation of the\u00a0No Surprises Act.<\/p>\n
Lowering Prescription Drug Costs<\/p>\n
The package includes commonsense reforms to lower prescription drug costs and increase transparency for patients and taxpayers, including:<\/p>\n
Requirement that prescription drug rebates be fully passed through to health plans, with protections for innocent plan fiduciaries.Increased transparency in the generic drug application process to promote competition and speed access to lower-cost medications.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"President signed the bill in the Oval Office on Tuesday- photo White House Office of Senator Roger Marshall…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":451266,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[59],"tags":[97,252,253],"class_list":["post-451265","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-health-care","tag-health","tag-health-care","tag-healthcare"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/451265","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=451265"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/451265\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/451266"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=451265"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=451265"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=451265"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}