ACS Advocacy Brief: July 2026

On the Hill

House Committees Prioritize Action on Prior Authorization Reform

The US House of Representatives Ways and Means Committee has unanimously advanced the Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act (HR 3514), marking another important step forward for the legislation. The ACS applauds the committee’s strong bipartisan support.

Following House Energy and Commerce (E&C) Subcommittee on Health action, the full E&C committee successfully advanced the legislation earlier this summer. Because the two committees approved slightly different versions, the legislation must now be reconciled before it can be considered by the House floor.

The ACS remains actively engaged with lawmakers as the legislation continues to move through Congress.

Breast Cancer Research Stamp Reauthorization Act Advances

This week, the House passed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2027 (H.R. 8800), which included an amendment to reauthorize the Breast Cancer Research Stamp for an additional 10 years. The amendment is identical to the Breast Cancer Research Stamp Reauthorization Act of 2026 (H.R. 8358/S. 4318).

Although the Senate has yet to consider its version of the NDAA, inclusion of the provision in the House-passed bill marks an important step toward securing long-term reauthorization of the program.

The Breast Cancer Research Stamp Reauthorization Act of 2026 is led by Representatives Beth Van Duyne (R-TX) and Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) in the House and Senators Jacky Rosen (D-NV) and Ashley Moody (R-FL) in the Senate.

The ACS has been a longstanding advocate for the Breast Cancer Research Stamp and continues to work with congressional champions and coalition partners to advance the legislation. Earlier this year, the ACS also led a coalition letter, signed by 36 organizations, endorsing the bill.

The Breast Cancer Research Stamp is a semipostal stamp sold at a price above the standard First-Class rate, allowing the public to directly support breast cancer research. By law, 70% of proceeds fund research at the National Institutes of Health, while the remaining 30% supports the Department of Defense's Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs. Since the program's launch in 1998, more than 1.1 billion stamps have been sold, generating nearly $98 million for breast cancer research.

The program has also served as a model internationally, with several countries pursuing similar initiatives. Reauthorizing the stamp through 2037 will ensure continued public investment in lifesaving breast cancer research.

Contact your legislator to voice your support for the Breast Cancer Research Stamp Reauthorization Act.

Appropriations Bill Recognizes Importance of Global Surgical Access

On July 15, the US House passed fiscal year 2027 appropriations for National Security, State Department, and Related Programs. Included in this bill report was language emphasizing the importance of investing in neglected surgical conditions and global surgical access.

While the language did not include direct funding, the ACS is appreciative that the Appropriations Committee and House expressed support for global surgery.

The ACS led a coalition letter of more than a dozen supporting national organizations endorsing support for this language and connected funding. The Senate is currently crafting their version of this bill, in which the ACS will continue to advocate for inclusion of this funding

Senate Committee Considers ASPR Nomination

Last week, the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee held a hearing to consider the nomination of Sean Kaufman to lead the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR), the agency tasked with overseeing the nation's medical and public health preparedness for, response to, and recovery from disasters and other public health emergencies.

Kaufman, who currently serves as a senior adviser for global affairs at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, defended or clarified some of his previous comments questioning vaccine safety, which drew criticism from Committee members on both sides of the aisle.

He also emphasized that his first priority, if confirmed, would be to strengthen and reauthorize the Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Act, which includes the MISSION ZERO grant program—one of the ACS's longstanding advocacy priorities.

Read Kaufman’s full statement. The Senate HELP Committee is expected to vote on Kaufman’s nomination in the coming weeks before the nomination moves to the full chamber.

Policy

ACS Hosts Grand Rounds Session on Surgical AI Policy Principles

On Thursday, July 16, the ACS Division of Advocacy and Health Policy (DAHP) hosted David Blumenthal, MD, MPP, for a Grand Rounds discussion on the evolving landscape of artificial intelligence (AI) in surgery and its policy implications, helping inform surgical specialties and align advocacy priorities.

Dr. Blumenthal, an internal medicine physician, health policy expert, and former National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, provided surgeon representatives from surgical societies with an overview of current AI technologies and a framework for regulating them to ensure their safety, efficacy, and equitable use in practice. Patricia L. Turner, MD, MBA, FACS, ACS Executive Director and CEO, provided opening remarks, while Thomas C. Tsai, MD, MPH, FACS, ACS Medical Director for Health Policy Research, served as moderator to bring a uniquely surgical perspective.

This week’s Grand Rounds served as a kick-off event for the DAHP’s AI speaker series, which will feature lectures from leading experts in a host of AI policy domains.

Advocacy

Advocacy Spotlight: Drs. Marion Henry and Deborah Loeff

Dr. Loeff

Dr. Henry

This month, the ACS recognizes Marion Henry, MD, MPH, FACS, and Deborah Loeff, MD, MJ, FACS, for their leadership in strengthening surgical advocacy through grassroots engagement.

Drs. Henry and Loeff are pediatric surgeons and active members of the ACS and the American Pediatric Surgical Association (APSA). Together, they helped educate APSA members on the value of using SurgeonsVoice to communicate directly with their elected officials, demonstrating how collaboration across surgical specialties strengthens the collective voice of The House of Surgery^®.

Their leadership played a key role in generating increased communication to members of Congress in support of the Safety and Funding for E-Bikes (SAFE) Ride Act (HR 5265), which would establish a grant program under the Department of Transportation (DOT) to provide funds to states that have an e-bike safety program as well as direct DOT to develop national safety standards and public education materials.

The ACS thanks Drs. Henry and Loeff for their commitment to advancing surgical advocacy and for demonstrating the power of partnership, ensuring every surgical specialty has a voice at the ACS.

Get Involved with the Advocacy at Home Program

The ACS Advocacy at Home Program offers surgeons a meaningful way to advocate for the profession by meeting directly with elected officials during congressional district work periods.

This year, the program will focus on stopping the 2026 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule “Efficiency Adjustment”. Getting involved is easy. Just send a pre-drafted meeting request through SurgeonsVoice to your congressional district office, and congressional staff will coordinate the details with you. Join your colleagues and help ensure surgery has a strong voice on Capitol Hill and in your community.

In Case You Missed It...

Learn About CMS Proposed Rule, Medicare Payment Reform Legislation, and More

Last week, the ACS released a special edition of the Advocacy Brief highlighting three federal developments of importance to surgeons: the newly released Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) proposed rule on the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS), bipartisan legislation to begin modernizing the MPFS, and the ACS’s official comments on the Office of Management and Budget’s proposed rule that would affect independent scientific research in the US.