Why It Matters

The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee advanced a bipartisan healthcare package on July 22, signaling rare agreement on drug pricing and transparency. The committee approved measures to cap insulin costs, speed up biosimilar approvals, and require hospitals to disclose pricing—addressing long-standing complaints about healthcare affordability.

The most contentious measure, a compounding pharmacy regulation bill, passed 17-5, revealing some Democratic resistance.

The Big Picture

Healthcare affordability has been a persistent congressional priority, but legislative efforts have repeatedly stalled. The Trump administration has been aggressively pushing market-based solutions. These enforcement actions and initiatives set the stage for the committee's legislative push.

The insulin debate has dragged on for years. A group of senators, including Republican Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Tommy Tuberville (R-AL), introduced the INSULIN Act to cap insulin costs at $35 a month for insured and uninsured Americans starting in 2027. This time, advocates are holding out hope a bipartisan momentum will deliver relief.

At an April hearing, the panel heard how biosimilars lack regulatory certainty and face exorbitant development costs despite a framework created 15 years prior. The FDA recently announced significant action to accelerate biosimilar development, issuing updated guidance that could save developers up to 50 percent of pharmacokinetic study costs, or roughly $20 million per program.

What They're Saying

Committee Chair Bill Cassidy (R-LA), a physician who has practiced medicine in a hospital for the uninsured and underinsured for over 25 years, framed the markup as aligned with Trump's health care plan. "The inability to afford health care is impacting the ability of small businesses to provide health insurance for their employees," Cassidy said, noting that 62 percent of Americans get their insurance from small businesses. "The cost of being insured has gone up and premiums are climbing."

Cassidy called for putting aside "feckless partisan politics" and passing legislation to make Americans' lives better. He publicly thanked staff members including Kristen Shatinski and Catherine Handler for their work, noting that some pieces of legislation had been in development for over six months.

Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-VT) backed the affordability measures.

The committee voted overwhelmingly on most bills. The Expedited Access to Biosimilars Act passed 22-0, eliminating costly and redundant clinical study requirements for biosimilar approval. The Title VIII Nursing Workforce Reauthorization Act passed 21-0. Multiple bills including insulin pricing and nursing workforce programs passed 22-1. Only the SAFE Drugs Act, addressing compounding pharmacy regulation, showed real division, passing 17-5.

Senators Roger Marshall (R-KS) and John Hickenlooper (D-CO) championed the price transparency bill, arguing it would make pricing information more easily available and empower patients to compare prices and select affordable care. "The Patients Deserve Price Tags Act will require hospitals to disclose their prices before patients receive care," Marshall stated.

Lisa Murdock, American Diabetes Association Chief Advocacy Officer, stated the organization is "proud to endorse the bipartisan INSULIN Act." An American Diabetes Association survey from October 2025 found insulin remains unaffordable for almost 30 percent of individuals with diabetes. Aaron J. Kowalski, CEO of Breakthrough T1D (formerly JDRF), stated the organization "supports the INSULIN Act legislation and encourages all members of the Senate to support it."

Political Stakes

The price transparency bill faced pushback from the American Hospital Association, which questioned whether additional statutory enforcement mechanisms are necessary and suggested health plans might be more appropriate stakeholders to post some pricing information.

The Alliance for Pharmacy Compounding warned that the SAFE Drugs Act would "gut shortage drug compounding" and leave patients with fewer options when commercial drugs are in shortage. This reflected broader concerns about FDA restrictions on compounded medications, particularly after the agency removed GLP-1 drugs from the shortage list in mid-2025.

Forty million Americans have diabetes, and insulin affordability affects millions.

The Other Side

Sanders introduced the Childhood Diabetes Reduction Act, requiring the FDA to place strong warning labels on ultra-processed foods high in sugar, salt, and saturated fats, and banning junk food ads targeted at children. Similar laws have been implemented in Chile, Israel, Mexico, and Peru.

The American Hospital Association expressed concern that draft language didn't sufficiently advance transparency goals, yet also questioned whether statutory enforcement is necessary given existing CMS processes.

What's Next

The committee's rare unanimity on biosimilars suggests that reform could advance quickly.

Access the Legis1 platform for comprehensive political news, data, and insights.

Spot something wrong? Report an issue with this article