Legislation & Regulation

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.

On September 30, 2025, the White House announced a deal with Pfizer to lower drug costs in line with most-favored nation (MFN) pricing. While specific terms of the agreement have not been disclosed, both Pfizer and the White House issued statements providing a broad outline of the agreement.

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.

As organizations representing public health, patients, family caregivers, and healthcare professionals, we have a clear stake in the availability of vaccines. Vaccines represent one of our most effective tools in preventing disease and improving quality of life, throughout the lifespan. The proceedings and recommendations of the CDC’s ACIP have a huge impact on trust and confidence in vaccines, and in Americans’ ability to access those life-saving vaccines. Recognizing the critical importance of this meeting, we respectfully submit the following recommendations.

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.

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.