Why It Matters
The American College of Cardiology (ACC) filed its third-quarter 2026 disclosure covering more than 50 numbered bills, spanning Medicare physician payment, artificial intelligence and prior authorization, telehealth expansion, and cardiovascular care access.
By the Numbers
ACC reported $600,000 in third-quarter 2026 lobbying, down $80,000 from $680,000 in the second quarter. Compared with the third quarter of 2025, when ACC reported $580,000, spending is up $20,000.
All lobbying is conducted in-house; no outside firms appear on any filing in the data. The roster of 10 lobbyists on this filing is unchanged from the second quarter.
The team:
- Nick Morse, vice president, Advocacy
- John Kristan, associate director, Legislative Affairs
- Lucas Sanders, director, Congressional Affairs
- Adrienne Mortimer, associate director, Legislative Affairs
- James Vavricek, director, Federal Regulatory Affairs
- Debra Mariani-Weissenborn, associate director, Coding and Physician Reimbursement
- Amanda Stirling, associate director, Coverage and Research Policy
- Foster Curry, congressional affairs manager
- Matt Minnella, associate director, Medicare Payment Policy
- Faizah Pirzada, associate director
Broader Context
The filing lists the Provider Reimbursement Stability Act as H.R. 8163, introduced in the House on March 30, and names S. 5180 as its Senate companion. The bill would raise the Medicare physician-payment budget-neutrality threshold from $20 million to $57.64 million and index it to the Medicare Economic Index going forward. A July 30 press release from Sen. Peter Welch (D-VT), joined by five bipartisan co-sponsors, named ACC among supporting health organizations and cited American Medical Association (AMA) figures showing Medicare reimbursement has declined 33 percent since 2001 in inflation-adjusted terms. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act, enacted as Public Law 119-21, included a one-time 2.5 percent increase in Medicare physician-fee-schedule payments for 2026; ACC said it would continue advocating for long-term reform. ACC also cited a Congressional Budget Office estimate that the law's Medicaid provisions could cause more than 10.3 million people to lose Medicaid coverage.
The filing lists the Protecting Patients from Automated Denials Act (H.R. 9734), introduced July 16, 2026, which would set requirements for AI use in Medicare prior-authorization denials. AMA President Willie Underwood, quoted in the bill introduction release, said AI is no substitute for a trained physician and may miss patients' circumstances and treatment nuances. The House committee page records consideration of H.R. 9734 on Sept. 21.
The REDI Act, S.942, sponsored by Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-NV), would allow medical and dental residents to defer student loan payments until program completion; the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee held a hearing on it March 19. The Increasing Access to Quality Cardiac Rehabilitation Care Act of 2025, filed as both H.R. 6894 and S.717, would expand Medicare coverage of cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation by allowing nurse practitioners and physician assistants to administer programs; both remain at introduction.
Competitive Landscape
Sixteen organizations are listed on S.942, including the American Dental Association, the American Psychiatric Association, and the American Medical Association. Thirteen organizations are associated with H.R. 5081, the Telehealth Modernization Act, including the American Hospital Association and Amazon Corporate LLC. Eleven organizations are listed on H.R. 307, the Amputation Reduction and Compassion (ARC) Act of 2025, including CardioVascular Coalition and Pulse Vascular.
The Bottom Line
ACC reported $600,000 in client spending in both the 2026 first quarter and third quarter, and $680,000 in the second quarter, and none of its filings list an outside firm. If Congress does not act on the Medicare physician-payment measures before the 119th Congress ends, those bills would lapse and require reintroduction.
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