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Read the Academy's bi-weekly update on legislative and regulatory advocacy for neurology.

February 23, 2026

Standing up for neurology in Washington

The AAN's neurology advocates are making their voice heard in Washington, DC, this week, speaking up for you and your patients. by writing your members of Congress about the top issues facing neurology. 

Issue in focus

On Tuesday, February 24, 200 AAN members will be on Capitol Hill to talk about the issues that impact our profession and our patients for the 24^th Neurology on the Hill. This year, our members will be highlighting three important issues: physician reimbursement under Medicare, access to telehealth, and neuroscience research funding.  

Not attending? You can still help support your colleagues by writing to your members of Congress about these three issues using the  

Physician reimbursement under Medicare
Almost every year, the AAN needs to ask Congress to fix a proposed cut to physician reimbursement under Medicare. These cuts are due to structural issues with the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule that need to be addressed by Congress–specifically outdated triggers for budget neutrality requirements and a lack of an inflationary update to physician reimbursement. AAN members will be asking their legislators to create a permanent inflationary update to physician reimbursement based on the Medicare Economic Index and to raise the budget neutrality triggers in the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule.   

Access to telehealth
During the COVID-19 public health emergency, Congress put into place several flexibilities that allowed patients to have broader access to their neurologists via telehealth. These changes significantly increased access to care for the patients we serve. However, Congress has yet to make them permanent. This led to a lapse in access to telehealth for Medicare recipients during the 2025 government shutdown–causing unnecessary confusion and stress for patients. AAN members will be asking their legislators to co-sponsor the CONNECT for Health Act (S.1261/H.R.4206), which will make these flexibilities permanent–including continued access to audio-only telehealth visits.   

Neuroscience research funding
Funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) is essential to the continued development of new treatments and cures for neurological conditions and diseases. The BRAIN Initiative is a program at NIH that has funded basic research into the brain–helping us better understand how the brain works so we can find new ways to treat our patients. This program is losing an important funding stream through the 21st Century CURES Act in 2027, and Congress needs to act to ensure researchers across the country can continue their important work. AAN members will be asking their legislators to support $468 million in funding for the BRAIN Initiative in 2027.  

If you have any questions about Neurology on the Hill or the policies we’re discussing, email us at advocacy@aan.com. 

Latest advocacy news

AAN submits comments in response to proposed GLOBE and GUARD models 
The AAN submitted comments to CMS in response to the proposed GLOBE and GUARD models from the CMS Innovation Center, which implement the president’s most favored nation drug pricing policy.

AAN submits comments in response to use of AI to improve clinical practice 
The AAN submitted comments to HHS in response to a Request for Information on the use of artificial intelligence to improve clinical practice. Our comments provide recommendations for governance, interoperability, transparency, and payment policy.  

AAN sends letters supporting neurology priorities across several states  
The AAN recently sent advocacy letters in several states: supporting later school start times in Pennsylvania, restricting insurers’ use of AI to deny prior authorizations in Florida and Hawaii, mandating coverage for telehealth services in Massachusetts, reducing prior authorization burdens in Arizona and Kansas, and opposing expanded diagnostic authority for chiropractors in New York.  

What we're reading

• Trump required hospitals to post their prices for patients. Mostly it’s the industry using the data () 
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