Congress is currently considering funding for fiscal year (FY) 2027, which begins October 1, 2026. The Endocrine Society wants Congress to make NIH a priority. We are calling on our US-based members to urge their elected officials to increase funding for NIH and ensure that the agency is protected from harmful policy proposals and disruptions to grants.
Because many congressional offices do not understand how disruptions to grant review and distributions affect their states, it is critical that all Senators and Representatives hear from their constituents about the importance of funding NIH.
We need your help to share our message to increase funding for the NIH in FY 2027 and protect NIH research. Please take action now by joining our campaign and forward the campaign to your colleagues. Your advocacy can help make a difference.
With Congress’ attention on funding right now, the Endocrine Society organized a virtual Hill Day on March 13, to call on lawmakers to increase NIH funding and protect NIH research. We also urged Representatives and Senators to provide funding for women’s health research and establish a dedicated Women’s Health Research Fund within the Office of the Director. In addition, we informed congressional offices about continued delays in funding opportunities and obstacles for researchers to draw down on approved funds, so that they could address with the NIH and the administration.
Over forty members of the Society from states and congressional districts of lawmakers who serve on the appropriations committee participated, resulting in one hundred congressional meetings. Our virtual meetings amplified the voice of endocrine research and the Society’s influence. You can help maximize our impact! Please join our online campaign and share our message with your Representative and Senators.
We will continue to keep members posted about funding developments and we will participate in an in-person Hill Day later this Fall as well.
This week, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released a memo providing additional information on its proposed model to expand access to anti-obesity medications for Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries. The Better Approaches to Lifestyle and Nutrition for Comprehensive hEalth (BALANCE) Model aims to increase access to GLP-1 medications and healthy lifestyle interventions to improve health.
The latest information released by the agency includes a list of the medications that will be included in the model, and the clinical criteria beneficiaries must meet to be eligible for coverage. The model, which is expected to launch in 2027, will provide certain Medicare beneficiaries with GLP-1 medications at $50 per month. More information about the model can be found on CMS’s website.
The Society is pleased to see CMS taking steps to expand access to these medications for beneficiaries. We have supported previous efforts by the agency to expand access to obesity medications. We also support the Treat and Reduce Obesity Act (TROA), which would allow Medicare to cover obesity medications for weight loss. We will continue to analyze this proposal and the clinical criteria for beneficiaries to better understand how this program would work and who would benefit. We will also continue to educate Members of Congress and congressional staff about obesity. In January, we hosted a congressional briefing on Capitol Hill to discuss obesity and its impact on liver disease and shared Society educational resources related to obesity. We will also soon be releasing an updated version of our Obesity Playbook, which contains educational information for congressional staff who work on obesity issues and policy.
We rely on your voice to advocate for our policy priorities. Join us to show our strength as a community that cares about endocrinology. Contact your US representatives or European Members of Parliament through our online platform. Take action and make a difference today.
