March 9, 2026, Washington, DC — Surgeons from across the country will gather on Capitol Hill on March 11 for the American Academy of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery (AAO-HNS) Congressional Advocacy Day, engaging lawmakers on a slate of legislative priorities centered on protecting patients and ensuring access to high-quality care. Representing more than 13,000 ear, nose and throat (ENT) physicians nationwide, Academy members will meet directly with Members of Congress to advance policies that safeguard quality patient care.
"Our members are coming to Washington from across the country because their patients are counting on them — newborns who need hearing screening, a parent navigating a head and neck cancer diagnosis, adults with chronic conditions that only a qualified ENT surgeon can treat. Each of these priorities has a face and a story, and this week Congress will get to hear them directly from the physicians at the frontlines of care in their districts," said Gene Brown, MD, RPh, AAO-HNS President.
Key Legislative Priorities
Hearing Health Equity — Stop CMV Act and Ally's Act The AAO-HNS is urging Congress to pass the Stop CMV Act (H.R. 5435 / S. 2842), which would fund universal newborn screening for congenital cytomegalovirus (cCMV) — the leading non-genetic cause of hearing loss, affecting one in 200 newborns. The Academy is also championing Ally's Act (H.R. 4606 / S. 3400), which would require private insurers to cover bone-anchored hearing aids and cochlear implants, ensuring a family's zip code or finances don't determine whether a child gets the hearing care they need.
Medicare Physician Reimbursement Patients across the country depend on access to qualified ENT surgeons — and Congress has the ability to protect that access. The Academy is asking Congress to pass H.R. 6160, the Strengthening Medicare for Patients and Providers Act , ensuring that patients can continue to see the specialists they need, in the communities where they live.
"When otolaryngologist-head and neck surgeons engage Congress directly, they bring something no one else can — the lived experience of their patients. That clinical perspective is what transforms a policy conversation into meaningful reform," said Rahul K. Shah, MD, MBA, AAO-HNS Executive Vice President and CEO.
The 40 otolaryngologist-head and neck surgeons participating in the 2026 AAO-HNS Congressional Advocacy Day represent 20 states spanning every region of the country, with nearly half engaging in congressional advocacy for the first time — reflecting the specialty's growing commitment to a sustained physician voice on Capitol Hill.
About the AAO-HNS
The AAO-HNS is one of the world's largest organizations representing specialists who treat the ears, nose, throat, and related structures of the head and neck. Otolaryngologist-head and neck surgeons diagnose and treat medical disorders that are among the most common affecting patients of all ages in the United States and around the world. Those conditions include chronic ear disease, hearing and balance disorders, hearing loss, sinusitis, snoring and sleep apnea, allergies, swallowing disorders, nosebleeds, hoarseness, dizziness, and tumors of the head and neck, as well as aesthetic and reconstructive surgery and intricate micro-surgical procedures. The Academy has approximately 13,000 members.
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