Physician-Legislator · 3 of 3 · Republican · Pennsylvania PA-13 · Energy & Commerce
Rep. John Joyce, MD (R-PA)
Physician · Co-Chair, GOP Doctors Caucus · U.S. House · Energy & Commerce
What He Did · January 22, 2026
At the Energy & Commerce Health Subcommittee hearing with five insurer CEOs, Rep. Joyce went after vertical integration: insurers that own the pharmacy benefit manager, the pharmacy, the purchasing group and the doctors' practices, and then route care to themselves.
He entered reporting on a Health Affairs study from Brown University: UnitedHealthcare pays its own Optum physician practices about 17% more than outside practices in the same region for the same care, and up to 61% more where it has a large share of the market. The study's authors explain why that matters. Insurers must spend at least 80–85% of premiums on medical care or pay rebates, and money paid to an in-house doctor counts as medical care while staying inside the same company.
Then he asked every CEO at the table to raise a hand and commit to providing their subsidiary spending data, in writing, by the end of February 2026. Every hand went up.
The Exchange · Watch It
Watch on the committee's official video, 2:34:18His questioning runs from about 2:34:18 to 2:39:52.
Where That Promise Stands
The February deadline has passed. We haven't found the insurers' answers in the public record. If you know where they're published, tell us. All the January 22 promises →
The Brown study is a snapshot of price-transparency data. Its authors say it doesn't accuse UnitedHealth of breaking any law, and UnitedHealth disputes the findings.
His Bills · Both Bipartisan
- Medicare Advantage Improvement Act (H.R. 8375), introduced in April 2026. It targets excessive prior authorization and inappropriate coverage denials in Medicare Advantage: faster decision deadlines, more plan transparency, quicker payment for services already authorized, and tougher oversight of plans that fail compliance standards. Statements of support came from physicians on both sides, including Rep. Kim Schrier, MD (D-WA) and Rep. Greg Murphy, MD (R-NC). Joyce: it "will restore accountability, reduce unnecessary barriers, and ensure that seniors receive timely, high-quality care."
- Access to Innovative Treatments Act, reintroduced June 24, 2026, with Rep. Nanette Barragán (D-CA). It would require CMS to reconsider Medicare coverage decisions in a timely way when new evidence emerges.
Also on the Record
He chaired the March 17, 2026 Energy & Commerce hearing on Medicare and Medicaid fraud, where he put skin substitute spending at about $400 million in 2022 and over $10 billion in 2024. That's the hearing where Rep. Buddy Carter asked how many patients would lose a leg if the crackdown went too far.
Why This Is Here — and What It Is Not
This is not an endorsement of Rep. Joyce's politics. It's here because a physician in Congress got every insurer CEO to commit, on the record, to showing what they pay their own subsidiaries, and because he wrote a bill aimed at the Medicare Advantage denials AbilityForge documents.
Congressional Voices is a record, not a roster. A good question or a good bill counts here whichever side of the aisle it comes from. AbilityForge has not contacted Rep. Joyce, and he has not reviewed this page.
Tell Them AbilityForge Sent You
Pennsylvanians especially: ask his office whether the insurers delivered the subsidiary spending data they promised, and urge him to make it public. Support for H.R. 8375 helps too.
Sources
- House Energy & Commerce Health Subcommittee — hearing with health insurance company CEOs, January 22, 2026 (official video)
- Brown University School of Public Health — UnitedHealthcare pays Optum providers more, Nov. 10, 2025 (Health Affairs study)
- American Society of Anesthesiologists — on Rep. Joyce's questioning, Feb. 2, 2026
- Rep. Joyce — Introduces the Medicare Advantage Improvement Act (MAIA), April 2026
- Rep. Barragán — Barragán and Joyce reintroduce the Access to Innovative Treatments Act, June 25, 2026
- Portrait: official congressional photo.
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