Endocrine Society’s Recent Advocacy Accomplishments – June 2026

Endocrine Society Advocacy Victories – Join Endocrine Society Advocacy Campaigns

The Endocrine Society is an advocacy leader representing the interests of members to policymakers.  During the past year we have had many advocacy victories including:

• Restoring funding for the Diabetes Prevention Program Outcomes Study and Diabetes Research Centers
• Increasing Funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and removing harmful policies for research such as arbitrary caps on indirect cost rates and expansion of multi-year funding
• Developing insulin affordability legislation and new coding opportunities for endocrinologists
• Influencing regulation of endocrine-disrupting chemicals in the European Union

We also have several ways for you to join us in advocacy:

• Join our online advocacy campaigns by going to: endocrine.org/take-action to join our online advocacy campaigns. These campaigns take only a minute of your time, but they are influential and make a difference.  Please take action today!
•  Visit our advocacy toolkit at: endocrine.org/advocacy/advocacy-toolkit to learn how you can participate in all kinds of advocacy activities.
• If you are attending ENDO 2026 in Chicago, Ill., please stop by the Endocrine Society Booth on the Exhibit Floor to learn more about our work and how you can participate.

Endocrine Society Advocates for Access to Affordable Anti-Obesity Medications; Medicare to Offer $50 per Month Access to GLP-1 Medications for Eligible Beneficiaries 

Last month, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced it will provide access to some GLP-1 medications for $50 per month to eligible Medicare beneficiaries. The medications will be available through a new Medicare Bridge Program, a temporary demonstration program that will begin on July 1, 2026. Medicare beneficiaries must meet certain clinical criteria to qualify for coverage of the medications. More information about the bridge program including the clinical criteria and which GLP-1 medications will be available through the program can be found on the Medicare website at: https://www.cms.gov/medicare/coverage/prescription-drug-coverage/medicare-glp-1-bridge.

The Endocrine Society is a leading voice urging Congress and the administration to expand access to anti-obesity medications (AOM). We strongly support the creation of this program and have also supported previous proposals to expand access to AOMs. We also support the Treat and Reduce Obesity Act (TROA) that would allow Medicare to cover AOMs for weight loss and expand Medicare coverage of Intensive Behavioral Therapy (IBT), which is an effective lifestyle intervention for treating obesity. We will continue to keep members apprised of developments.

Advocacy Win: Endocrine Society Partners with ESE and ESPE to Advocate for Controls on Chemicals in Cosmetics to be Maintained in European Union

On April 29, the European Parliament voted to retain important provisions to minimize exposure to carcinogens, mutagens, and reprotoxic substances (CMRs) under the Cosmetics Regulation, as part of the Chemicals Omnibus.

The Endocrine Society partnered with the European Society for Endocrinology (ESE) and European Society for Pediatric Endocrinology (ESPE) to advise policymakers. Prior to the vote, the Endocrine Society and ESE also contacted members of the European Parliament (MEPs) on leading committees to urge that existing protections be upheld. The final compromise negotiated between the major political parties keeps most of the existing controls intact and rejects the Commission’s proposed weakening to allow certain CMRs to be present in cosmetics. A cross-party group of over 30 MEPs also tabled amendments calling for a ban on EDCs and PFAS in cosmetics, based on the existing ban on EDCs and PFAS in toys. Those amendments, however, were not adopted since they were outside the general compromise text. Several MEPs responded to our joint letter indicating their support for our position and gratitude for providing a science-based rationale for our positions.

Society Advocates for Endocrinology Inclusions in the Draft Physician Payment Reform Legislation Proposal 

The Endocrine Society is working with the Congressional Doctors Caucus on physician payment reform legislation.

The bipartisan legislation, which is expected to be introduced shortly, would take steps to improve physician reimbursement within Medicare. The current draft of the bill would provide a small annual inflationary update to the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS). The legislative draft also includes a provision to provide an additional add-on payment to primary care providers and other specialties over a five-year period. 

We shared our recommendations with the Doctors Caucus co-chairs earlier this spring and urged them to make endocrinologists and other non-procedural specialists eligible for this proposed add-on payment. The current draft of the legislation would require the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to determine what specialties would be eligible for the add-on. We will continue to watch this issue closely and advocate for adequate payment reform for endocrinologists.

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