Marijuana Impact on Medicaid Act of 2026

119th Congress Introduced by Ted Budd and 2 co-sponsors

Requires HHS to collect and publicly report Medicaid costs from hospital and ER visits linked to marijuana use within a year of enactment.

Introduced in Senate

Overview

Bill: S.4345, Marijuana Impact on Medicaid Act of 2026

Session: 119th Congress

Introduced: April 20, 2026 by Sen. Budd (also cosponsored by Sens. Ricketts and Hagerty)

Purpose: Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to collect data and report to Congress on the costs to the Medicaid program from hospital and emergency room visits related to marijuana use.

Main purpose and intent

The bill aims to quantify and publicly report the financial impact of marijuana use on the Medicaid program.

Specifically, it seeks data on federal and state Medicaid expenditures tied to medical assistance for hospital inpatient services, outpatient hospital services, and hospital emergency room services related to marijuana use.

Key provisions

Data collection mandate (Section 2(a)):

The Secretary of Health and Human Services must collect data on Medicaid expenditures that are attributable to costs incurred for hospital-based care related to marijuana use.
Covered services include:
Inpatient hospital services
Outpatient hospital services
Hospital emergency room services (the requirement applies regardless of whether the ER services are categorized as emergency services)
The scope references expenditures under Title XIX of the Social Security Act (Medicaid), as well as related federal and state costs.

Reporting requirement (Section 2(b)):

Within one year after enactment, the Secretary must submit to Congress a report detailing findings from the data collection.
The report must be publicly available.
The report may include recommendations for legislative or administrative actions as deemed appropriate by the Secretary.

Affected parties and scope

Primary focus: Medicaid program administrators at both federal and state levels.

Implications for:

Federal funding and budgeting for Medicaid
State Medicaid agencies responsible for hospital and ER payments

The bill does not specify changes to eligibility, covered services beyond the data collection scope, or policy changes; rather, it seeks data to inform potential future actions.

Procedural and timeline aspects

Introduction and referral:

Introduced in the Senate and referred to the Committee on Finance (April 20, 2026).

Reporting timeline:

A final report describing the data findings and potential recommendations must be submitted to Congress and made publicly available within 1 year of enactment.

Public availability:

The requirements explicitly call for the data and report to be publicly accessible.

Potential impact and considerations

Data-driven oversight: Enables Congress to assess the burden of marijuana-related hospital and ER costs within Medicaid.

Policy implications: The Secretary may propose legislative or administrative actions based on findings; potential downstream policy debates could address marijuana regulation, public health interventions, or Medicaid cost containment.

Limitations: The bill does not define metrics, data sources, or methodology for attributing costs to marijuana use, leaving methodological questions for the Secretary’s report.