On September 15 and 16, 2026, the Senate Committee on Finance and the Senate HELP Committee examined the nomination of Mr. Chris Klomp to serve as Deputy Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS). Discussions focused primarily on Medicare operations and payment policy, aging health care technology infrastructure across public insurance systems, value-based care and shared-savings models, prescription drug pricing transparency and pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) reform, prior authorization, and health care competition.

More information on the Senate Finance Committee hearing may be found here. More information on the Senate HELP Committee hearing may be found here.

Impact on General Dentistry: The nomination hearings highlighted potential HHS priorities that could affect dental providers, including expanded use of value-based payment models and continued scrutiny of prior authorization practices. These policy directions could influence future payment and reporting requirements and shape broader discussions around competition, transparency, and accountability in dental benefit and insurance markets.