The U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee voted on July 22 to favorably report multiple bills aimed at making health care more affordable and accessible for American families.
Dr. Bill Cassidy said, “I come to this issue not only as a senator, but as a doctor who practiced medicine in a hospital for the uninsured and underinsured for over 25 years. We’re seeing the inability to afford health care is impacting the ability of small businesses to provide health insurance for their employees.”
Cassidy continued, “Today’s markup shows the success we can have when we work together on shared priorities. I appreciate my colleague’s efforts on these bills advancing a pro-patient, pro-family and pro-worker agenda.”
The committee passed several bills with broad support. The National Plan for Epilepsy Act, Expedited Access to Biosimilars Act, and Making America’s Food Safer Act were approved unanimously 22-0 as amended in an en bloc vote. The Patients Deserve Price Tags Act, CLEAR LABELS Act, EMPOWER for Health Act, Title VIII Nursing Workforce Reauthorization Act of 2025, and Rural Obstetrics Readiness Act passed 21-1 as amended in an en bloc vote. The SAFE Drugs Act of 2026 passed as amended 17-5; the INSULIN Act of 2026 also passed as amended 17-5; while the Childhood Diabetes Reduction Act was approved as amended by a vote of 12-10.
Bills approved include: Patients Deserve Price Tags Act; INSULIN Act of 2026; Making America’s Food Safer Act; Childhood Diabetes Reduction Act; Expedited Access to Biosimilars Act; CLEAR LABELS Act; SAFE Drugs Act of 2026; National Plan for Epilepsy Act; EMPOWER for Health Act; Title VIII Nursing Workforce Reauthorization Act of 2025; and Rural Obstetrics Readiness Act.
The Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee works on public health legislation while providing oversight over federal laws and agencies such as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and National Institutes of Health (NIH), according to the official website. In the current Congress, Dr. Cassidy serves as chairperson.