Families USA Leads Call for Congress to Reject Repeal of Richardson Waiver - Families USA Skip to Main Content
12.02.2025 / Press Release

Families USA Leads Call for Congress to Reject Repeal of Richardson Waiver

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Families USA sent a letter to U.S. Senate Leadership, signed by 67 national and state partner organizations, strongly rejecting the decision by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) earlier this year to limit long-standing public notice and comment requirements for a wide range of agency rulemaking.

The Richardson Waiver has been a bipartisan standard since 1971, ensuring that constituents and relevant stakeholders are given appropriate notice and can provide timely feedback on HHS policymaking decisions. However, HHS announced in March 2025 that it would no longer follow this established procedure.

“This reversal from HHS undermines a more than 50-year precedent that has ensured public comment on federal rulemaking before a rule is finalized, thereby allowing your constituents to shape policies that affect the health and well-being of their families and communities,” wrote the organizations in their letter. “Public notice and comment processes are critical to a transparent and evidence-based regulatory process, one that ensures health care rulemaking and implementation of laws appropriately consider the needs of all relevant consumers, communities, and stakeholders.”

They continued, “The implications of this decision are profound. HHS currently oversees $1.7 trillion in health care programs – including Medicare, Medicaid, the Affordable Care Act, the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) — and interprets and implements statutes that touch everything from coverage eligibility and benefits to research funding for cancer and chronic diseases to how doctors and community hospitals are reimbursed for care.”

Families USA, the longtime advocate for health care consumers, remains committed to ensuring that every American has a voice in their health care system. This week, Families USA posted a new blog on how the Richardson waiver is critical to implementing good, equitable health policy.