Federal Regulations Public Comment Period
Last Updated
Jan 22, 2026, 14:56 PM
Department of Health and Human Services
Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Disability in Programs or Activities Receiving Federal Financial Assistance
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS or Department) issues this Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) to revise 45 CFR 84.4(g) in the regulation implementing section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (section 504) as it applies to recipients of HHS funding (entitled “Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Disability in Programs or Activities Receiving Federal Financial Assistance,” 89 FR 40066 (“2024 Final Rule”)), published on May 9, 2024. This rule clarifies that the Department interprets the statutory exclusion of “gender identity disorders not resulting from physical impairments” from the definitions of “individual with a disability” and “disability” set forth at 29 U.S.C. 705(9) & (20)(F)(i), 42 U.S.C. 12211(b), to encompass “gender dysphoria not resulting from a physical impairment” for purposes of part 84. This clarification is necessary to resolve ambiguity introduced in the preamble to the 2024 Final Rule and to ensure compliance with the best reading of the plain language of the governing statute.
Comment Period: Submit comments on or before January 20, 2026.
Federal Register: Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Disability in Programs or Activities Receiving Federal Financial Assistance
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
Medicare Program: Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment and Ambulatory Surgical Center Payment Systems; Quality Reporting Programs; Overall Hospital Quality Star Rating; Hospital Price Transparency; and Notice of Closure of a Teaching Hospital and Opportunity To Apply for Available Slots
This final rule with comment period revises the Medicare Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) and the Medicare Ambulatory Surgical Center (ASC) payment system for calendar year 2026. This rule describes the changes to the amounts and factors used to determine the payment rates for Medicare services paid under the OPPS and those paid under the ASC payment systems. In addition, this final rule with comment period announces the closure of a teaching hospital and the opportunity to apply for available slots, and updates and refines the requirements for the Hospital Outpatient Quality Reporting Program, Rural Emergency Hospital Quality Reporting Program, Ambulatory Surgical Center Quality Reporting Program, Overall Hospital Quality Star Rating, and hospitals to make public their standard charge information and enforcement of hospital price transparency, as well as summarizes comments received in response to a request for information on measure concepts regarding Well-Being and Nutrition for consideration in future years for the OQR, REHQR, and ASCQR programs.
Effective Date: The provisions of this rule are effective January 1, 2026.
Comment period: Comments must be received at one of the addresses provided in the notice, by January 20, 2026.
Department of State
30-Day Notice of Proposed Information Collection: Medical Examination for Visa or Immigration Benefit
The Department of State has submitted the information collection on medical examination for visa or immigration benefit to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for approval. Forms for this collection are completed by panel physicians on behalf of aliens seeking a visa; refugees; refugees and asylees (including following-to-join); and certain parolees. The forms record the medical information necessary to determine whether an alien has a medical or other condition affecting his or her eligibility for a visa or immigration benefit. The information requested includes the result of any diagnostic tests required for the diagnosis of diseases identified as communicable diseases of public health significance, as well as other evaluations identified as necessary to confirm a medical ineligibility or to comply with other requirements. Collecting this information is essential to protecting public health in the United States.
Comment Period: Submit comments up to January 22, 2026.
Federal Register: 30-Day Notice of Proposed Information Collection: Medical Examination for Visa or Immigration Benefit
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
Increasing Access to Nonprescription Drugs; Request for Information
The FDA is announcing a request for information from interested parties and the public to share their perspectives with FDA on how to increase access to nonprescription drugs. The FDA intends to use the information submitted to inform plans for a public meeting intended to be held in calendar year 2026.
Comment Period: Either electronic or written comments on the notice must be submitted by February 2, 2026.
Federal Register: Increasing Access to Nonprescription Drugs; Request for Information.
Health Resources and Services Administration(HRSA)
Agency Information Collection Activities: Submission to OMB for Review and Approval; Public Comment Request; COVID-19 Provider Relief Fund and American Rescue Plan Rural Payment Reporting Activities, OMB No. 0906-0068-Revision
HRSA disbursed the COVID-19 Provider Relief Fund (PRF) and American Rescue Plan (ARP) Rural payments to eligible health care providers to support health care-related expenses or lost revenues attributable to the COVID-19 pandemic. Recipients of PRF and ARP Rural payments agreed to a set of Terms and Conditions (T&C), which, among other requirements, mandate compliance with certain reporting requirements that facilitate appropriate oversight of recipients' use of funds. Providers who have attested to the T&Cs regarding their PRF and ARP Rural payment(s), including the requirement that the provider will use the HRSA Consolidated PRF Reporting Portal to submit information about their use of PRF and ARP Rural payments. There will be one new Data Form Element, the Repayment ID, which is generated by HRSA and provided in the email giving the recipient the opportunity to report, and it will be entered by the provider in the HRSA Consolidated PRF Reporting Portal. Approximately 50 data elements will be removed from the PRF and ARP Rural Reporting Portal, including sections on personnel, patient, and facility metrics as well as survey questions on the PRF program.
Comment Period: Comments on this ICR should be received no later than February 6, 2026.
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
Solicitation of Proposals for New and Modified Safe Harbors and Special Fraud Alerts
In accordance with section 205 of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA), this annual notification solicits proposals and recommendations for developing new, or modifying existing, safe harbor provisions under section 1128B(b) of the Social Security Act (the Act), the Federal anti-kickback statute, as well as developing new OIG Special Fraud Alerts.
Comment Period: To ensure consideration, public comments must be received no later than 5 p.m. on February 9, 2026.
Federal Register: Solicitation of Proposals for New and Modified Safe Harbors and Special Fraud Alerts.
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
Agency Information Collection Request; 30-Day Public Comment Request
Office for Civil Rights (OCR) is requesting Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approval for a new information collection. Under OCR's delegated civil enforcement authority, a person may file a complaint with OCR for alleged noncompliance with 42 CFR part 2 (“Part 2”). OCR will collect information from individuals using the form, Confidentiality of Substance Use Disorder Patient Records Complaint, to allow OCR to collect the minimum information needed from individuals who file complaints with OCR to form the basis for the initial processing of such complaints to satisfy the right of an individual to file a complaint.
Comment Period: Comments on the Information Collection Request (ICR) must be received on or before February 12, 2026.
Federal Register: Agency Information Collection Request; 30-Day Public Comment Request
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
Medicare and Medicaid Programs; Hospital Condition of Participation: Prohibiting Sex-Rejecting Procedures for Children
This proposed rule would revise the requirements that Medicare and Medicaid certified hospitals must meet to participate in the Medicare and Medicaid programs. These changes are necessary to protect the health and safety of children and reflect HHS' review of recent information on the safety and efficacy of sex-rejecting procedures (SRPs) on children. The revisions to the requirements would prohibit hospitals from performing sex-rejecting procedures on children.
Comment Period: To be assured consideration, comments must be received at one of the addresses provided in the notice, no later than 5 p.m. on February 17, 2026.
Federal Register: Medicare and Medicaid Programs; Hospital Condition of Participation: Prohibiting Sex-Rejecting Procedures for Children
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
Medicaid Program; Prohibition on Federal Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Program Funding for Sex-Rejecting Procedures Furnished to Children
This proposed rule would require that a State Medicaid plan must provide that the Medicaid agency will not make payment under the plan for sex-rejecting procedures for children under 18 and prohibit the use of Federal Medicaid dollars to fund sex-rejecting procedures for individuals under the age of 18. In addition, it would require that a separate State Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) plan must provide that the CHIP agency will not make payment under the plan for sex-rejecting procedures for children under 19 and prohibit the use of Federal CHIP dollars to fund sex-rejecting procedures for individuals under the age of 19.
Comment Period: To be assured consideration, comments must be received at one of the addresses provided in the notice, no later than 5 p.m. on February 17, 2026.
Federal Register: Medicaid Program; Prohibition on Federal Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Program Funding for Sex-Rejecting Procedures Furnished to Children
Department of Health and Human Services
Request for Information: Accelerating the Adoption and Use of Artificial Intelligence as Part of Clinical Care
The HHS Office of the Deputy Secretary in collaboration with ASTP/ONC has published this Request for Information (RFI) to seek broad public comment on what HHS can do to accelerate the adoption and use of AI as part of clinical care.
Comment Period: To be assured consideration, written or electronic comments must be received at one of the addresses provided in the notice, by February 23, 2026.
Federal Register: Request for Information: Accelerating the Adoption and Use of Artificial Intelligence as Part of Clinical Care
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
Guarding U.S. Medicare Against Rising Drug Costs (GUARD) Model
This proposed rule would implement the Guarding U.S. Medicare Against Rising Drug Costs (GUARD) Model to test a new Medicare payment model under section 1115A of the Social Security Act. The model proposes a test of an alternative payment method for calculating inflation rebates for certain Part D drugs and biological products. The proposed GUARD Model would test whether changing the calculation of the Part D inflation rebate would reduce costs for the Medicare program while preserving or enhancing quality of care for Part D enrollees.
Comment Period: To be assured consideration, comments must be received at one of the addresses provided in the notice, by February 23, 2026.
Federal Register: Guarding U.S. Medicare Against Rising Drug Costs (GUARD) Model
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
Global Benchmark for Efficient Drug Pricing (GLOBE) Model
This proposed rule proposes to implement the Global Benchmark for Efficient Drug Pricing Model (“GLOBE Model”), a new Medicare payment model under section 1115A of the Social Security Act (the Act). The GLOBE Model would test whether a payment model that uses an alternative method for calculating Part B inflation rebate amounts for certain separately payable Part B drugs and biologicals products reduces costs for Medicare fee-for-service (FFS) beneficiaries and the Medicare program while preserving quality of care.
Comment Period: To be assured consideration, comments must be received at one of the addresses provided in the notice, by February 23, 2026.
Federal Register: Global Benchmark for Efficient Drug Pricing (GLOBE) Model
Department of Health and Human Services
Health Data, Technology, and Interoperability: ASTP/ONC Deregulatory Actions To Unleash Prosperity
This proposed rule focuses on deregulatory actions identified in HHS regulations regarding Health information technology standards, implementation specifications, and certification criteria and certification programs for health information technology, and information blocking. This proposed rule seeks to reduce burden, offer flexibility to both developers and providers, and support innovation through the removal and revisions of certain certification criteria and regulatory provisions. This proposed rule also seeks to address reported misuse and abuse of information blocking definitions and exceptions.
Comment Period: To be assured consideration, written or electronic comments must be received at one of the addresses provided in the notice, no later than 5 p.m. Eastern Time on February 27, 2026.
Federal Register: Health Data, Technology, and Interoperability: ASTP/ONC Deregulatory Actions To Unleash Prosperity
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