Endocrine Society Advocacy Update – April 2026

Strategic Advocacy in Focus: NIH Funding, Obesity Medication Access, andNOFO Delays

congressional engagement, policy positioning on NIH funding, obesity medication access through CMS initiatives, and the status of grant funding timelines.

The information centers on ongoing efforts to influence policy, mechanisms for member participation, and concrete actions undertaken by Society leadership and membership to advance research funding and obesity-related health policy.

• The source provides a monthly synthesis of Endocrine Society advocacy activities, emphasizing U.S.

The approach combined direct congressional meetings with a messaging campaign aimed at preserving uninterrupted grant processes and ensuring dedicated funding for women’s health research through a proposed Women’s Health Research Fund within the NIH Office of the Director.

The engagement generated upwards of 100 congressional meetings, underscoring a coordinated effort to amplify endocrine research priorities in federal budget discussions.

• The Endocrine Society organized a virtual Hill Day in March to advocate for higher NIH funding and to safeguard NIH research activities during the FY 2027 appropriations cycle.
• Participants in these advocacy activities included more than 40 Society members representing various states and congressional districts with representation on appropriations committees.
• In addition to virtual activities, the Society signaled plans for an in-person Hill Day in the Fall, signaling continuity in advocacy momentum and a diversified approach to policy engagement.

federal policymakers, including senators and representatives on appropriations committees who influence NIH funding and related research infrastructure.

The Society also sought to educate congressional offices about ongoing funding delays and obstacles hindering researchers’ ability to draw down approved funds.

This positioning reflects a broader aim to secure stable, predictable resources for endocrinology and related biomedical research.

• The advocacy outreach targeted U.S.
• Efforts extended to policymakers and congressional staff working on women’s health research funding, with a policy objective to establish dedicated funding within the NIH framework to support women’s health initiatives.

• Federal funding advocacy: A central activity was urging Congress to increase NIH funding for FY 2027 and to shield NIH research activities from policy proposals perceived as harmful or disruptive to grant review or grant distribution processes.
• Women’s health funding initiative: The Society advocated for a dedicated Women’s Health Research Fund within the NIH Office of the Director, seeking explicit budgetary support for women’s health research priorities.
• Information dissemination and accountability: The Society communicated delays in funding opportunities and obstacles in fund drawdown to congressional offices and the NIH/administration, presenting these issues as impediments to lifesaving endocrine research.
• Public-facing advocacy and member mobilization: The campaign included a call for members to participate via an online advocacy portal and share the Society’s message with their representatives, leveraging a grassroots mobilization strategy to complement formal meetings.

The latest materials delineate eligible medications and qualifying clinical criteria for coverage within the model, anticipated to launch in 2027.

This included a commitment to continue educating congressional staff about obesity-related issues and to monitor how the program would operate in practice.

• CMS introduced informational updates on the BALANCE Model, a pilot initiative intended to broaden access to anti-obesity medications (GLP-1 class) for Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries.
• Under BALANCE, certain Medicare beneficiaries could receive GLP-1 medications at a cost of $50 per month, representing a potential affordability pathway for obesity management under the program’s structure.
• The Society expressed approval of CMS’s progress toward expanding access to obesity medications and reaffirmed support for related legislative efforts, including the Treat and Reduce Obesity Act (TROA), which would authorize Medicare coverage of obesity medications for weight management.
• The Society indicated ongoing analysis of the BALANCE proposal and its clinical criteria to understand implementation implications and identify beneficiary populations likely to benefit.

This prior engagement contextualizes the April update as part of a continuing thread of policy education and stakeholder outreach.

• January activities included a Capitol Hill briefing on obesity and its impact on liver disease, accompanied by dissemination of Society educational resources on obesity.
• The Society signaled forthcoming updates to its Obesity Playbook, an educational resource designed for congressional staff who handle obesity policy, indicating an ongoing effort to equip legislators and their staff with policy-relevant information.
• The BALANCE Model informational materials and TROA positioning reflect the Society’s broader stance on obesity management as a policy issue with potential implications for endocrine health and comorbidity management.

The Society emphasizes that many congressional offices lack full understanding of how funding disruptions translate to state-level impacts, hence the call for constituent engagement.

The pricing provision of $50 per month for select beneficiaries highlights a potential affordability benchmark within a larger coverage framework.

• NIH funding advocacy is framed as essential to sustaining endocrine research infrastructure, reducing disruption to grant reviews, and ensuring consistent grant distributions.
• The emphasis on a Women’s Health Research Fund within NIH suggests a structural preference for targeted investment in female endocrine health research, aligning with broader public health and gender-specific research priorities.
• The BALANCE Model’s emphasis on GLP-1 medications and lifestyle interventions signals a policy pathway to expand access to pharmacologic obesity management in federal healthcare programs.
• TROA remains a legislative focal point for extending Medicare coverage to obesity medications, reflecting a legislative strategy that complements CMS pilot efforts and informs ongoing advocacy messaging.

The reader is cautioned that the described framework may evolve as CMS issues further guidance.

• The update does not present quantitative outcomes or achievements beyond the number of meetings and the existence of the legislative proposals; it does not specify the degree of bipartisan support, the precise budgetary figures sought, or the projected impact on NIH grant success rates.
• Details on the clinical criteria for BALANCE eligibility, the exact medications included, or the operational mechanics of cost-sharing and provider reimbursement under the BALANCE Model are provided at a high level, with referenced links for additional specifics.
• The in-person Hill Day for Fall is outlined as a plan, but timing, participants, and anticipated policy milestones remain unspecified in the current content.

• How will congressional offices respond to the Endocrine Society’s advocacy on NIH funding for FY 2027, and what specific congressional actions or amendments to funding proposals might emerge?