To: Members of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce
From: National Taxpayers Union
Date: July 20, 2026
Subject: NTU’s views on the July 21 Markup
I. Introduction
On behalf of National Taxpayers Union, the nation’s oldest taxpayer advocacy organization, we write to express our views on legislation slated for consideration before the House Committee on Energy and Commerce on July 21, 2026. While NTU recognizes that the Committee is considering a broader package of legislative proposals, we would like to highlight bills that warrant special attention. NTU applauds the Committee for your continued efforts to advance proposals that protect the interests of taxpayers and uphold free-market principles.
II. Legislation NTU Supports
H.R. 9332, the Load Forecasting Enhancement Act – Support. This bipartisan legislation, authored by Reps. Balderson (R-OH) and Menendez (D-NJ), improves the accuracy of electricity demand forecasting to help both utilities and regulators anticipate surging energy needs. More reliable forecasts can ultimately cut the risk of supply shortages that might arise due to unforeseen stress on the grid due to the energy needs of factories, data centers, and residential consumers—all of which together are expected to increase usage by up to 50% by 2035. Better forecasting also supports more efficient permitting and grid planning, lowering costs for consumers by minimizing wasted investments and improving system reliability. Anticipating and adapting is the best proven approach to actually strengthen America’s energy infrastructure while protecting taxpayers and ratepayers alike. NTU supports H.R. 9332.
H.R. 5526, the Biosimilar Red Tape Elimination Act – Support. Authored by Reps. Pfluger (R-TX) and Landsman (D-OH), this reform to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) would eliminate a costly and duplicative regulatory hurdle for biosimilar manufacturers and ensure more therapies reach the patients who need them. Specifically, this legislation removes an outdated FDA requirement that forces manufacturers to go through an extended approval process to secure “interchangeable” status, despite already meeting rigorous safety standards. There is ample evidence that prices decline as more competitors enter the market for a given drug. Public policy should, therefore, focus on removing regulatory barriers to entry that keep manufacturers from bringing their drugs to market. This, in turn, lowers costs in taxpayer-funded health care programs. H.R. 5526 represents the kind of good-government reform that actually expands supply in the health care market place. NTU supports this legislation.
H.R. 9392, the Medicare Advantage Cost Transparency Act – Support. Authored by Reps. DeGette (D-CO) and Joyce (R-PA), this legislation expands reporting requirements for insurance companies participating in Medicare Advantage (MA). Specifically, this bill requires insurers to disclose additional information to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) regarding the various costs involved in patient care, including whether the MA plan arranged for the beneficiary to receive an at-home health risk assessment. Gathering more information on these health assessments in particular could be of great benefit to taxpayers. Because MA reimbursements are tied to the reported health risks of enrollees, insurers have a financial incentive to exaggerate patient diagnoses to secure higher payments from CMS. Known as “upcoding,” this tactic inflates federal health spending even though no additional care is actually delivered to beneficiaries. The Department of Health and Human Services’s Office of Inspector General has warned that many inflated payments stem from in-home health assessments that aren’t supported by doctor visits or treatment. NTU supports this legislation.
H.R. 5243, To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to increase data transparency for supplemental benefits under Medicare Advantage – Support. Authored by Rep. McClellan (D-VA), this legislation expands reporting requirements for insurance companies participating in MA. Specifically, this bill mandates the disclosure of enrollee-level data on supplemental benefits to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). MA plans would need to report information such as beneficiaries’ eligibility for supplemental benefits, as well as the utilization and cost of these benefits. Over half of all Medicare beneficiaries currently use MA, yet there is no requirement to specifically report information about supplemental benefits or their use. MA expenditures have grown rapidly in recent years, and shining a light on supplemental benefits could help identify wasteful spending. While taxpayers stand to benefit from such an approach, it is important to balance these benefits against the administrative burden of collecting more data. NTU supports this legislation.
H.R. 3514, the Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act of 2025 – Support.
Authored by Reps. Kelly (R-PA) and DelBene (D-WA), this legislation creates new federal standards regarding the use of prior authorization in MA plans. Specifically, this legislation requires MA plans to transition away from slow, paperwork-based systems and implement an electronic prior authorization program. In addition, this legislation creates new enrollee protection standards and federal reporting requirements regarding MA plans’ use of prior authorization. Unnecessary delays in treatment can burden patients and increase costs, and, as such, taxpayers stand to benefit from a streamlined prior authorization process in MA plans. NTU supports this legislation.
III. Conclusion
Should you have any questions about the recommendations in this memo, please do not hesitate to reach out to Thomas Aiello (taiello@ntu.org) or Alexander Ciccone (aciccone@ntu.org).