Advocacy in Action

Senate Moves Forward with Funding Deal 

Although last week the U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed a package of the remaining six funding bills, including funding for the National Institutes of Health, and attached legislation to extend the Special Diabetes Program (SDP) and telehealth waivers, this week its fate hit major speed bumps in the U.S. and it appeared that agreement would not occur before the deadline of 11:59pm on January 30.  Following the violence in Minneapolis, Minnesota last weekend, Senate Democrats demanded reforms in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) before they would support funding for the Department of Homeland Security contained in the legislative package. This meant the legislative package would need to be reworked, agreed to by the Senate, and then the new legislation would now need to go back for a vote in the House of Representatives.

However, late on January 29, the Senate struck a deal where it will vote on five of the six appropriations bills contained in the original package (including funding for NIH) before the weekend. They will not vote on the sixth bill, which funds the Department of Homeland Security, as it is currently written. Instead, they will vote on a separate short-term funding resolution for it. This will allow the other federal agencies to be funded, pending approval by the House of Representatives, while carving out time for negotiators to make changes to the Department of Homeland Security appropriations bill.

The president endorsed the deal on social media, posting he was working with Congress “to ensure that we are able to fully fund the Government, without delay.”  After Senate passage, the House will need to pass to avoid a lapse in government funding. Because the House is currently on recess until Monday, a short-term shutdown is inevitable, but if the House acts quickly upon returning, the effects of shutdown will be limited, as most federal offices are closed on the weekend. Of course, all of this is dependent on no more political hold-outs or hold-ups.

The Endocrine Society has been a leading advocate of increasing funding for the NIH, protecting NIH from policies that could disrupt research, such as arbitrary caps on indirect cost rates and multi-year funding; extending SDP; and extending telehealth waivers for Medicare beneficiaries. We are pleased that these issues were incorporated into legislation and are grateful to the House and Senate negotiators who made that happen. We also urged Congress to swiftly pass this legislation and we thank our members who joined our online advocacy campaigns. Our advocacy mattered and worked!

CMS Releases List of Medications Subject to Medicare Price Negotiation; List Includes Medications Approved to Treat Endocrine Conditions

This week, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released a list of 15 new medications that will be subject to the Medicare Price Negotiation Program. The list includes medications that are approved to treat endocrine conditions including Trulicity, which is approved to treat type 2 diabetes, and Lenvima, which is approved to treat thyroid cancer. These medications will go through a negotiation process between CMS and the manufacturers, with new prices going to into effect in 2028. You can view the full list of medications here on CMS’s website.

The Endocrine Society is a strong supporter of this Program included in the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), which was signed into law in 2022. The IRA also capped the out-of-pocket cost of insulin at $35 per month for Medicare beneficiaries. We continue to urge Congress to pass legislation to expand the $35 co-pay cap for insulin to those on private insurance. We anticipate that the Senate Diabetes Caucus co-chairs will soon be introducing bipartisan legislation to expand the co-pay cap. We have been working closely with the Caucus as they continue to develop legislation. We will continue to keep you updated on this important issue.