House FY 2027 LHHS Appropriations Bill Maintains Funding for Hearing Health Priorities, Eliminates PCORI Funding

The House Appropriations Committee has approved its Fiscal Year (FY) 2027 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (LHHS) appropriations bill, which provides level funding for several programs important to the hearing healthcare community. The bill now awaits further congressional consideration as the appropriations process continues.

For the American Academy of Audiology’s priorities, the legislation includes flat funding for both the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) and the Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) Program. While the Academy advocated for funding increases for both programs, maintaining current funding levels in a constrained budget environment helps preserve critical investments in hearing and communication research, newborn hearing screening, and early intervention services.

The bill also eliminates federal funding for the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI), a significant policy change that could reduce support for comparative clinical effectiveness research used to inform healthcare decision-making and improve patient outcomes. PCORI has historically funded research designed to help patients, clinicians, and policymakers make evidence-based healthcare decisions.

The Academy will continue to monitor the appropriations process as the Senate develops its FY 2027 LHHS bill, and negotiations continue toward a final funding package.