Letters, Statements & Analysis

On Saturday, October 11, Governor Gavin Newsom signed SB 41, a bill that limits certain business practices employed by pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) in California. This bill follows previous attempts by the governor to regulate PBMs, including changes implemented in the budget that require PBMs to obtain a license, submit detailed operational and financial statements annually to the Department of Managed Health Care, and act in the best interests of health plans and covered individuals.

Under the current Continuing Resolution passed on March 15, government funding will expire at 12:01 AM ET on the morning of Oct. 1. A Continuing Resolution (CR) extends government funding at existing levels in lieu of passage of a regular appropriations bill—occasionally with minor fiscal changes or additional policy “rider” amendments included—for a predetermined amount of time. Unless Congress reaches a deal on an additional funding package, federal government activities and operations deemed “nonessential” will temporarily cease, while “essential” functions and mandatory spending such as Social Security and Medicare payments will continue under contingency plans determined by federal agencies and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). Since 1980, there have been 14 government shutdowns, with the longest and most recent shutdown to date occurring from Dec. 22, 2018 – Jan. 25, 2019 under the first Trump administration.

Last month, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) abruptly announced the firing of former CDC Director Dr. Susan Monarez, which was followed by the resignation of several CDC officials including former CDC Chief Medical Office Dr. Debra Houry.

The Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy (AMCP) thanks the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) for the opportunity to provide comments in response to the “Medicare and Medicaid Programs; CY 2026 Payment Policies Under the Physician Fee Schedule and Other Changes to Part B Payment and Coverage Policies; Medicare Shared Savings Program Requirements; and Medicare Prescription Drug Inflation Rebate Program” (Proposed Rule), issued on July 16, 2025.

On September 9, 2025, the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) Commission released the “Make Our Children Healthy Again (MOCHA) Strategy,” which follows an earlier report that assessed key drivers of childhood chronic disease, including poor diet, chemical exposure, lack of physical activity and chronic stress, and overmedicalization. Executive Order 14212, signed by President Trump on February 13, tasks the commission with providing government-wide recommendations on policy and strategy to address the identified contributing causes and end the childhood chronic disease crisis.

With the end of August recess, Members of Congress returned to Washington D.C. this week to tackle government funding and the remaining policy priorities not included in the One Big Beautiful reconciliation Bill (H.R. 1).

On August 28, Chairman Crapo announced that Secretary Kennedy would testify before the Senate Finance Committee to preview the Trump administration’s 2026 health care agenda, including the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) initiative.

Just after midnight on the morning of Aug. 7, President Trump’s sweeping “reciprocal” tariffs took effect on dozens of international trading partners, marking another dramatic escalation of the administration’s “America First” trading policy.

AMCP comments on Trump Administration demands for manufacturers to take action on Most-Favored-Nation pricing scheme

H.R. 1, or the Big Beautiful Bill, has brought substantial change to the managed care pharmacy landscape, particularly for managed care organizations (MCOs) with managed Medicaid lines of business.