Today, President and CEO Aaron Carroll submitted testimony to the House Appropriations Committee warning that the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) has been effectively sidelined despite receiving $345 million in FY26 funding. Since September 2025, the agency has not issued new grants or funded ongoing research, leaving critical work on patient safety, health care costs, and access stalled nationwide.
“If you want to know what AHRQ does, look at what Americans hate most about the health care system,” said Carroll. “Care costs too much. It’s too hard to get an appointment. Waits are too long. Too often, people don’t get the results they were promised. Those are exactly the problems AHRQ is designed to solve and right now, that work has largely stopped.”
The testimony emphasizes that this is not just a funding issue; it’s an implementation failure.
“The agency is funded, but frozen,” Caroll said. “Without staff to manage grants and clear direction to release funds, appropriated dollars are not reaching the researchers and clinicians working to improve care.”
The testimony reflects a broad, growing concern across the field. Earlier this year, more than 260 organizations joined the Friends of AHRQ coalition in calling for $500 million in funding and a full restoration of the agency’s capacity.
What’s at stake is not abstract. AHRQ-funded research has saved lives, reduced medical errors, and helped make care more affordable and accessible. When that work stops, so does progress on the issues patients feel every day.
AcademyHealth’s bottom line to Congress: funding alone is not enough. Without accountability and action, the nation risks losing the infrastructure that makes better health care possible.
A narrow window to act
Congress is accepting outside witness testimony for FY27 funding decisions through April 16.
AcademyHealth has created a simple resource to help our community communicate directly with Congress about the importance of AHRQ:
AcademyHealth Action Resource: Submit Testimony to Congress on AHRQ Funding
Even brief submissions can make a difference. A single, clear example of how AHRQ-supported research improves care, reduces costs, or expands access can help lawmakers understand what’s at risk.
The funding exists. The need is clear. What happens next may depend on whether the field speaks up.