Health Equity & Access Weekly Roundup: November 6, 2026

Medicaid Cuts and Caregiving in Congress: Andy Kim

Efforts to reverse Medicaid cuts and make caregiving a national priority will continue into the next Congress even if they stall in the lame duck session, according to Senator Andy Kim (D, New Jersey), who spoke with The American Journal of Managed Care^®. Kim said he could not predict what Congress will accomplish in the coming 2 months but plans to raise the issue as the session closes, calling appropriations a chance to fund services at needed levels. He said the cuts, enacted last year, are about to take effect and will cause steep coverage drops in New Jersey and nationwide. Kim added that millions of voters are struggling with the costs of living and health care, and he called for a positive agenda that includes caregiving support and a proposal for Medicare at home.

Mailed FIT Outreach Boosts CRC Screening, but Gains Are Not Sustained

A centralized mailed fecal immunochemical test (FIT) outreach program raised colorectal cancer (CRC) screening at federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) for 2 years, but the advantage was no longer statistically significant by year 3, according to a cluster randomized trial in JAMA Network Open. The trial included 20,250 patients across 16 clinics in San Diego County. The share of eligible patients up to date with screening was 39.0% in intervention clinics vs 27.8% in usual care at year 1 and 37.8% vs 27.0% at year 2, then 39.4% vs 36.5% at year 3 (difference, 2.9 percentage points). The authors tied much of the early gap to pandemic-era declines in usual care and cited outreach timing problems, and they called for strategies to sustain implementation over time.

EEOC Reportedly Plans to Narrow Pregnancy Accommodation Rules

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) is reportedly preparing to narrow its Pregnant Workers Fairness Act rule, according to The New York Times, which cited 7 people with knowledge of the discussions. The changes could shorten the list of related medical conditions, which now includes fertility treatment and endometriosis, and widen religious exemptions for employers. The EEOC declined to comment, and no revised rule has been published. The agency's regulatory agenda projects a proposed rule in November 2026 and a comment period ending in January 2027, and the 2024 rule remains in effect, minus its vacated elective abortion provisions. Christine Bestor Townsend, an attorney at Ogletree Deakins, cautioned in the National Law Review that a narrower definition would not mean weaker enforcement of core pregnancy accommodations.

Cleveland Clinicians Say Obesity Care Starts Too Late for Many Patients

Medicare's GLP-1 Bridge, which began July 1, 2026, with a $50 monthly co-pay, reached patients with obesity late in the disease course, and cost and capacity gaps persist, some clinicians said at an AJMC Population Health Roundtable in Cleveland on August 18, 2026. Steven Nissen, MD, of Cleveland Clinic, noted that coverage came after patients already had comorbidities such as chronic kidney disease, while Diana Isaacs, PharmD, of Cleveland Clinic, called the timing late but still valuable. Participants cited the co-pay, Ohio Medicaid limits on obesity medication coverage, and pharmacist wait times of 1 to 2 weeks. Adam Perzynski, PhD, of MetroHealth, reported neighborhood obesity rates ranging from about 12% to 88%, with GLP-1 prescribing and obesity specialists most available where rates were lowest.

4 Health Policy Shifts Payers and Consumers Face Heading Into 2027

Medicare Advantage exits, expired ACA tax credits, a reintroduced Medicare for America Act, and a partial court ruling on Medicaid work requirements are shaping 2027 coverage, according to AJMC's Election Day overview. Minnesota's attorney general announced that nearly 400,000 older residents will lose their current Medicare Advantage plan in 2027, and a KFF analysis found 4.3 million people will have Medicare Advantage or stand-alone prescription drug plans terminated at the end of 2026. Benchmark silver premiums on the ACA marketplace are up an average of 42% from 2025 to 2027. Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) reintroduced the Medicare for America Act on October 30, 2026. A federal judge vacated part of CMS' Medicaid work requirement rule on medical frailty, though broader requirements take effect January 1, 2027.