This Week in Healthcare — Washington (#6, 2026)
House to examine health workforce on Feb 24; Senate meeting on health sector cybersecurity Feb 26; US news raises physician and caregiving access topics.
This is Queen Street Analytics' weekly digest of regulatory developments, legislative discussions and other government-related news concerning healthcare providers, doctors, physicians, clinicians, pharmacies and pharmacists, dental care providers, oral care providers, naturopaths, and old-age care providers. Once a week, we break down the most important updates in this space in under five minutes.
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Dates: 2026-02-15 to 2026-02-21
📋 In This Week's Newsletter
• 🏛️ This Week's Congressional Calendar
• 📚 What We're Reading This Week
This Week's Congressional Calendar
- Advancing the Next Generation of America’s Health Care Workforce – House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Health (Feb 24): The House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Health will convene on February 24 at 3:00 p.m. in Longworth House Office Building (Room 1100) for a hearing focused on advancing the next generation of America's health care workforce.
- Balancing Careers and Care: Examining Innovative Approaches to Paid Leave – House Education and the Workforce Subcommittee on Workforce Protections (Feb 24): The House Education and the Workforce Subcommittee on Workforce Protections will hold a hearing titled "Balancing Careers and Care: Examining Innovative Approaches to Paid Leave" on February 24 at 3:15 p.m. in Rayburn House Office Building (Room 2175), featuring witnesses from Bipartisan Policy Center, NASWA, CLASP, and Marsh McLennan Agency.
- Business Meeting – Senate (Dirksen Senate Office Building) to Consider S.3315, Healthcare Cybersecurity Coordination and Other Measures (Feb 26): The Senate will conduct a business meeting on February 26 at 3:00 p.m. in Dirksen Senate Office Building (Room 430) to consider measures including S.3315, which directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Director to improve cybersecurity in health care and public health sectors, along with related bills.
- Legislation Markup – House Veterans' Affairs Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity (Feb 24): The House Veterans' Affairs Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity will mark up multiple bills related to veteran health, mental health care coordination, organ donor protections, and housing on February 24 at 7:30 p.m. in Cannon House Office Building (Room 360).

What We're Reading This Week
- Opinion | The problem with turning to pharmacists during a doctor shortage: Article discusses pharmacist roles amid physician shortages and examines implications for access to care.
- She Lost Her Husband. Then, Her Eyesight. Her Adult Children Faced the Question: What’s Next?: A family navigates choices around home-based elder care following major life events.
- Caregiving is a national crisis we can't ignore | Opinion: Coverage spotlights challenges for dementia caregivers and the growing national attention on long-term care burdens.
- Hitting a health care wall: Analyzes current hurdles facing health system resources in New York, with direct impacts for providers and patients.
- Opinion | The case for more personalized breast cancer screening: Examines proposals for individualized mammogram protocols to improve risk reduction and patient outcomes.
- Opinion | A Welcome FDA Walkback on a Flu Vaccine: Outlines a policy revision on flu vaccine evaluation by FDA and its effect on clinical adoption.
- This doctor is training AI to do her job. And it’s a booming business: Describes healthcare adaptation to AI and physicians actively developing machine learning for clinical roles.
- Construction workers bond with girl, 4, who had sign: ‘Waiting for a ♥’: Cleveland Clinic staff and construction team support pediatric patient awaiting transplant.