Marijuana Impact on Medicaid Act of 2026
- Bill Number
- S. 4345
- Origin Chamber
- Senate
- Congress
- 119th Congress, Session 2
- Policy Area
- Health
- Status
- Introduced
- Latest Action
- 2026-04-20: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
- Last Updated
- 2026-06-10T11:03:26Z
AI-Generated Summary
Marijuana Impact on Medicaid Act of 2026 (S. 4345)
Purpose
The bill aims to evaluate the financial burden on the Medicaid program (a joint federal-state health insurance for low-income people) from hospital and emergency room visits linked to marijuana use, by requiring data collection and a congressional report.
Key Provisions
- Data Collection: The Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) must gather information on federal and state Medicaid spending for:
- Inpatient hospital services.
- Outpatient hospital services.
- Emergency room services (regardless of whether they qualify as true emergencies).
- These costs must be tied to marijuana use, as defined by the HHS Secretary.
- Report to Congress: Within 1 year of enactment, HHS must submit a public report to Congress with:
- Findings from the data.
- Recommendations for new laws or administrative changes, if deemed appropriate.
Significant Changes to Existing Law
- Introduces a new one-time data collection and reporting requirement under the Medicaid program (title XIX of the Social Security Act).
- No alterations to Medicaid eligibility, coverage, or funding formulas.
Potential Impacts
- Government Agencies: HHS gains a mandatory task, potentially increasing workload for data analysis from states and hospitals; may inform future Medicaid budgeting.
- Citizens: Medicaid enrollees unaffected directly, but report could influence policies on marijuana-related health services.
- No notable international relations impacts.
Main Stakeholders Affected
- Federal Government: HHS (leads data effort) and Congress (receives report).
- State Governments: Medicaid programs must provide expenditure data.
- Healthcare Providers: Hospitals and emergency rooms may need to report marijuana-related visit costs.
- Marijuana Policy Advocates: Report findings could shape debates on legalization and public health costs.
Notable Legal, Constitutional, or Political Implications
- Legal: Relies on HHS's authority to define "marijuana use" and related services, potentially standardizing data across states with varying marijuana laws.
- Constitutional: No direct challenges; aligns with Congress's spending power over federal programs like Medicaid.
- Political: Highlights tensions between state marijuana legalization and federal health funding, possibly fueling debates on cannabis policy without mandating changes.
This summary was generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies. Refer to the official source document for the authoritative text.
Sponsor
Cosponsors (2)
Sen. Ricketts, Pete [R-NE], Sen. Hagerty, Bill [R-TN]
Recent Actions
- 2026-04-20: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
- 2026-04-20: Introduced in Senate
Bill Versions
- Marijuana Impact on Medicaid Act of 2026 — issued 2026-04-20 — PDF (2 pages)