The Senate Aging Committee held a hearing on drug supply chain vulnerabilities, examining China’s influence on the U.S. drug supply and strategies to encourage domestic drug production. Committee Chair Scott (R-FL) advocated for passage of S. 3788, the CLEAR LABELS Act, which would require prescription drug labeling to disclose original manufacturers of generic drugs and active pharmaceutical ingredients, including country of origin. Witnesses emphasized that favorable regulations for biotechnology innovation are necessary to incentivize U.S. drug production.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Innovation Center released requests for applications for the BALANCE model, a voluntary program announced in December 2025 aimed at increasing access to GLP-1 medications and healthy lifestyle interventions. CMS outlined coverage criteria requiring participating states and Medicare Part D plans to adopt the criteria without burdensome step therapy or prior authorization. Participating states must cover all participating GLP-1 medications and ensure policies align with model requirements for both fee-for-service and managed care. CMS will only implement the Part D version if a critical mass of Part D plan sponsors participates, offering incentives including an optional narrowed first risk corridor threshold for certain plans.
CMS also issued updated organ procurement guidance clarifying responsibilities of organ procurement networks and donor hospitals. The guidance reinforces that organizations must approach potential donors and families without coercion or pressure and prohibits influencing the timing of life support withdrawal or death declarations. Failure to follow these requirements now constitutes noncompliance that must be cited once identified, even if corrected.
Labor organizations sued the administration over $600 million in CDC grant terminations, with the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees arguing that targeted blue states, with the administration using artificial intelligence to retroactively create other rationales. California, Colorado, Illinois, and Minnesota have pursued separate legal action, resulting in a temporary restraining order blocking grant terminations for 14 days.
This article is an AI-assisted summary. All facts and figures are drawn from the original report: https://natlawreview.com/article/mcdermott-check-march-13-2026