Top stories of Advocacy Update: January 2026

Get essential advocacy news and information on key national and state issues impacting physicians, patients and the health care environment. View past issues of Advocacy Update. 

Week of Jan. 30

1. Insurance plan CEOs pressed during joint House hearings

   1. Jan. 30, 2026
   2. Five CEOs of the nation’s largest health insurers and pharmacy benefit managers appeared before the full House Ways and Means Committee and the House Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee in separate, but coordinated, hearings.  

2. AMA endorses American Academy of Pediatrics 2026 childhood and adolescent immunization schedule

   1. Jan. 30, 2026
   2. “Parents deserve clear, evidence-based guidance when making decisions about their children’s health. At a time when unprecedented changes to the federal vaccine schedule threaten decades of scientific progress, the AMA strongly supports the American Academy of Pediatrics’ childhood and adolescent immunization schedule to keep children safe and healthy,” said AMA Board Chair David H. Aizuss, MD.

View the Jan. 30 issue

• Jan. 30, 2026: Medicare Reform Advocacy Update
• Jan. 30, 2026: National Advocacy Update
• Jan. 30, 2026: State Advocacy Update

Week of Jan. 23

1. Congress prepares a bipartisan health care package with AMA priorities

   1. Jan. 23, 2026
   2. Congressional leaders have agreed to a bicameral, bipartisan package of health care proposals that includes parts of the AMA’s policy agenda. “The AMA commends congressional leaders for finding common ground,” said David H. Aizuss, MD, chair of the AMA Board of Trustees. “As physicians, we know that the best results come from focused attention on what is best for patients. That’s what happened here.” 

2. How health-insurance consolidation hurts patients, physicians 

   1. Jan. 23, 2026
   2. When powerful insurers dominate a given market, it’s more difficult for independent physician practices to be competitive, leaving patients with fewer choices for care and leaving doctors with less choice in practice settings. Yet year after year, studies show just how consolidated health insurance markets are, with last year being no exception.

View the Jan. 23 issue

• Jan. 23, 2026: National Advocacy Update

Week of Jan. 16

1. AMA State Advocacy Summit inspires action for 2026

   1. Jan. 16, 2026
   2. As the summit concluded and many states kick off their legislative sessions this month, one thing became clear: physician leaders are energized and well prepared to effect change on crucial health care issues this year. 

2. Physicians must tell their own story—for patients’ sake

   1. Jan. 16, 2026
   2. “What stands out most is not any single policy win; it is the collective effort behind them. The AMA, state medical associations, specialty societies and physician advocates working in concert, sharing expertise, aligning priorities, and supporting one another. This is collaboration at its best, and it reflects the strength of a profession that understands we are more effective together than apart,” wrote AMA CEO John Whyte, MD, MPH, on the new AMA State Advocacy Impact Report (PDF).  

3. AMA 2025 report on Substance Use and Treatment sees drop in overdose deaths, calls on policymakers to remove obstacles to evidence-based care

   1. Jan. 16, 2026
   2. “While the data points to meaningful progress, it also shows the overdose epidemic is evolving in dangerous ways,” said AMA President Bobby Mukkamala, MD. “Illicitly manufactured fentanyl and polysubstance use continue to put patients at risk, while barriers to pain care and addiction treatment persist. Every patient deserves timely, evidence-based care without stigma. State and national efforts must keep pace with the changing nature of this epidemic.” 

View the Jan. 16 issue

• Jan. 16, 2026: National Advocacy Update
• Jan. 16, 2026: State Advocacy Update

Week of Jan. 9

1. AMA State Advocacy Summit kicks off 

   1. Jan. 9, 2026
   2. The summit began with a welcome address from John Whyte, MD, MPH, CEO, American Medical Association, and a keynote address from David Fajgenbaum, MD, MPH, MSc, co-founder and president, Every Cure. See the latest coverage by following #StateAdvocacySummit on social media.

2. AMA survey spotlights top priorities, challenges in 2026 state health policy

   1. Jan. 9, 2026
   2. The AMA’s survey of 64 medical societies, including all 50 state medical societies and the District of Columbia, spotlights the leading health care priorities and challenges set to define state-level legislative action in 2026. Top issues include scope of practice, Medicaid policy pressures and physician workforce challenges.

3. AMA report: Health insurance giants tighten grip on U.S. markets

   1. Jan. 9, 2026
   2. The newest edition of Competition in Health Insurance: A Comprehensive Study of U.S. Markets (PDF) analyzes 2024 data across 384 metropolitan areas, all 50 states, and the District of Columbia. “When one or two companies call the shots, premiums rise, options shrink, and patients suffer. Strengthening competition—not consolidation—is the path to lower costs and improved access,” said AMA CEO John Whyte, MD, MPH.

View the Jan. 9 issue

• Jan. 9, 2026: National Advocacy Update
• Jan. 9, 2026: State Advocacy Update

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