On February 3, Congress enacted H.R. 7148, the “Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026,” an omnibus spending measure that will fund the federal government for the remainder of the fiscal year, which ends on September 30, 2026. The package includes several significant health policy provisions and Medicare program extensions.
Through persistent advocacy, the Academy helped secure several consequential priorities, including:
- Extension of Medicare telehealth flexibilities
- Preservation of the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders,
- Continued investment in the Department of Defense Hearing Restoration Research Program
- Funding for CDC tobacco prevention and control activities
- Extension of the Medicare Work Geographic Practice Cost Index (GPCI) floor
- Reauthorization of mental health support for healthcare providers
Two-Year Extension of Medicare Telehealth Flexibilities
This legislation extends Medicare telehealth flexibilities that increase access to specialty care and continuity, especially for rural communities and patients lacking mobility or transportation. These policies are extended through December 31, 2027.
The extended flexibilities include:
- Originating Site Waiver:Allows patients to utilize telehealth services in their homes. Without this waiver, Medicare requires telehealth appointments to be conducted in a medical facility.
- Geographic Site Waiver:Allows all patients throughout the country to utilize telehealth services. Without this provision, Medicare only reimburses telehealth services for patients in rural areas.
- More Eligible Providers:Permits additional nonphysician providers, including audiologists and speech-language pathologists, to furnish telehealth services.
- Audio-Only Communication:Allows for telehealth visits via audio-only devices when video is unavailable.
The Academy strongly supports permanent extension of these telehealth flexibilities and is working with Congress to ensure long-term access to otolaryngology telehealth care.
Preserves and Sustains Funding for the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD)
This package preserves the independence of the NIDCD and sustains its funding at $534,333,000.
In 2025, Congress considered consolidating and cutting budgets for several of the institutes within the National Institutes of Health. This included a proposed merger of the NIDCD into a new National Institute for Child and Women’s Health, Sensory Disorders, and Communication. Under that proposal, the combined institute’s budget would have been cut by 50%.
The Academy strongly opposed this restructuring. Since Congress statutorily established NIDCD in 1988, the Institute has led rigorous, evidence-based research that has significantly advanced hearing and communication sciences. A budget cut and structural reorganization of this magnitude would have jeopardized clinical trials, discouraged emerging investigators, and weakened U.S. leadership in hearing and communication-science research.
The Academy applauds Congress for recognizing the importance of NIDCD’s work, maintaining its independence, and continuing to fund this critical research.
Fully Restores Funding for the Department of Defense (DoD) Hearing Restoration Research Program (HRRP)
This package restores funding for the HRRP that had previously been eliminated without notice.
For many years, Congress has supported the DoD’s Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program. The program funds high-impact, high-reward research that addresses health issues affecting military personnel, veterans, and the broader American public.
The HRRP is one of these programs. Its mission is to deliver groundbreaking research and solutions for hearing restoration by advancing the understanding, diagnosis, repair, and regeneration of the auditory system. Nearly 1.6 million veterans are affected by service-connected hearing loss, making it one of the most common disabilities among veterans.
However, the FY25 Continuing Resolution passed in March 2025 cut HRRP funding entirely. The Academy spoke up and urged Congress to restore this critical funding for veterans’ hearing health research.
Due to these efforts and those of other coalition stakeholders, HRRP funding has now been fully restored.
Maintains Funding for the CDC’s Tobacco Prevention and Control Program
The bill includes level-funding of $246.5 million for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Tobacco Prevention and Control Program. This is a significant victory as initial versions of the appropriations bill would have eliminated the program entirely.
The Academy and its coalition partners worked hard to achieve bipartisan agreement to preserve this funding.
Tobacco use remains a major contributor to head and neck cancers and other otolaryngology-relevant diseases. Sustained investment in prevention efforts reduces downstream morbidity and clinical burden.
Extends Medicare Work Geographic Practice Cost Index (GPCI) Floor
Congress extended the provision protecting rural providers from reduced Medicare payments through January 1, 2027.
Medicare Physician Fee Schedule payments are adjusted by geographic factors called GPCIs. There are 109 GPCI localities nationwide, and these indices affect all three RVU components (work, practice expense, and professional liability insurance). To help address physician workforce needs, Congress has historically mandated a work GPCI floor of 1.00, preventing downward payment adjustments in many rural areas.
Without this floor, more than 50 localities with work GPCIs below 1.0 would face potential reimbursement reductions.
Reauthorizes Mental Health Support for Healthcare Providers
The package reauthorizes funding for the Dr. Lorna Breen Healthcare Provider Protection Act through 2030.
Originally enacted in 2022, the Dr. Lorna Breen Act was the first federal law dedicated to preventing suicide, reducing occupational burnout, and improving mental health support for clinicians. Since enactment, the law has improved access to mental and behavioral health support, encouraged hospitals and health systems to engage with clinicians on well-being initiatives, and helped state licensure boards revise outdated policies that discouraged healthcare professionals from seeking mental health services.
The Academy has strongly supported this bill and applauds Congress for continuing to invest in the mental health and well-being of the nation’s healthcare workforce.
