PARTNERS Act of 2026

Key Points

• This bill would let state governments enforce federal Medicare Advantage rules on private insurance plans operating in their state. Currently, only the federal government can enforce these standards, but this would add states as a second layer of oversight.
• The bill requires the federal government to coordinate its enforcement work with state officials. The Secretary of Health and Human Services would need to work alongside both the state where a Medicare Advantage company is licensed and any state where it sells plans.
• Federal and state officials could sign formal partnership agreements to team up on enforcement actions. This creates a legal framework for shared investigations and joint oversight of Medicare Advantage insurers that break the rules.
• The bill was introduced by Reps. Downing and Doggett and referred to both the Ways and Means Committee and the Energy and Commerce Committee. It addresses growing concerns that the federal government alone cannot adequately oversee the rapidly expanding Medicare Advantage market, which now covers more than half of all Medicare beneficiaries.