Congress orders audit of Medicaid marijuana costs — data could fuel coverage cuts
S. 4345 — Marijuana Impact on Medicaid Act of 2026 · Filed by Ted Budd (R-NC) · 2 cosponsors · Introduced Apr 20, 2026 · Referred to committee
Your members of Congress
Enter a ZIP to see where your representative and both senators stood on this bill.
Looked up on this device — your ZIP is never stored on our servers.
What it does
This bill requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to collect data on how much the Medicaid program spends on hospital and emergency room visits related to marijuana use, and report those findings to Congress within one year. The bill does not change Medicaid policy, restrict marijuana use, or alter coverage — it is purely a data-collection and reporting mandate.
Why we flagged it
The bill's sole operative mechanism is to require HHS to gather and report Medicaid spending data on marijuana-related hospital visits. It contains no policy change, appropriation, or regulatory action — only a fact-finding directive.
What the text implies
- Data collection may be used to justify future restrictions on Medicaid coverage for marijuana-related conditions or to support state-level policy changes.
- The bill's definition of 'marijuana use' and 'related to marijuana use' is delegated to the Secretary, creating discretion in what costs are counted and potentially inflating or deflating the reported figure.
The full analysis lists 3 implications of this text.
Who it affects
The bill itself creates no direct benefit or cost to ordinary people — it is a reporting requirement that may inform future policy. However, the data collected could be used to justify restrictions on Medicaid coverage or marijuana access, or conversely to demonstrate that costs are minimal and do not warrant policy changes.