HHS, USPS, and USTR Issue Rules on Health Data, Postal Pricing, and Sugar Import Quotas

Medicare Data Collections: Two CMS Notices

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services published two separate information-collection notices on July 24, 2026, covering distinct Medicare programs.

The first, a 30-day notice submitted for OMB review, encompasses two collections. The Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey (MCBS) — described in the notice as "the most comprehensive and complete survey available on the Medicare population" — is proposed for revision. The MCBS is a nationally representative, longitudinal survey that has been continuously fielded for more than 30 years, encompassing over 1.2 million interviews and more than 140,000 survey participants, according to the notice. Respondents participate in up to 11 interviews over a four-year period. CMS notes that MCBS data are collected primarily by phone, supplemented with limited video interviewing or in-person visits, and are enhanced with administrative data such as fee-for-service claims and prescription drug event data. Beginning in Winter 2027, the proposed revision would result in a net decrease to respondent burden by removing multiple questionnaire items and adding only a limited number of new items. The revised collection lists 13,568 respondents, 35,015 total annual responses, and 31,917 total annual hours. The deadline for comments to the OMB desk officer is August 24, 2026.

The second CMS notice, a 60-day proposed collection open for comment until September 22, 2026, covers revisions to two additional collections. The first is the Medicare Transaction Facilitator (MTF), established under Sections 11001 and 11002 of the Inflation Reduction Act. The notice explains that the MTF consists of two key functionalities: the MTF Data Module (MTF DM) and the MTF Payment Module (MTF PM). Participation in the MTF PM is voluntary for Primary Manufacturers and is structured exclusively as a pass-through mechanism; participation in the MTF DM is mandatory for Primary Manufacturers with an active Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program Agreement. The MTF DM will establish accounts for each participating Primary Manufacturer. The notice states the MTF will also serve as a central repository for monitoring access to the Maximum Fair Price and processing complaints and disputes. This collection lists 73,925 respondents, 73,925 total annual responses, and 274,980 total annual hours. The second collection under this notice covers Prescription Drug Event data from contracted Part D providers, which the notice states CMS uses to ensure accurate payment calculations for reinsurance, risk corridors, low-income subsidies, and other Part D program components.

Voluntary Paternity Affidavits: OCSE Seeks 3-Year Extension

The Office of Child Support Enforcement (OCSE), within the Administration for Children and Families at HHS, published a request for public comments on a proposed 3-year extension of its information collection for the Voluntary Acknowledgment of Paternity and Required Data Elements for Paternity Establishment Affidavits. No changes are proposed to the data elements themselves.

The notice explains that Section 466(a)(5)(C) of the Social Security Act requires states to enact laws ensuring a simple civil process for voluntarily acknowledging paternity via an affidavit. Affidavits are used by hospitals, birth record agencies, and other entities participating in the voluntary paternity establishment program to collect information from parents of nonmarital children. The notice states that before parents can sign a voluntary acknowledgment, they must be given notice — orally or through video equipment, and in writing — of the alternatives to, legal consequences of, and rights and responsibilities of acknowledging paternity.

OCSE reports that annual burden estimates have been updated to remove ordering brochures from the calculation, as ordering brochures is not required under federal guidelines. The agency states that advancements in automation and digital service delivery have led most partners to rely on electronic devices and automated public-facing platforms, resulting in a 40 percent overall decrease in estimated annual burden compared to the most recently approved estimates from 2024. The three instruments and their estimated annual burden hours are: Training (135,155 respondents, 135,155 annual burden hours); Paternity Acknowledgment Process (1,372,816 respondents, 233,379 annual burden hours); and Data Elements (54 respondents, 54 annual burden hours), for an estimated total annual burden of 368,588 hours. Comments are due September 22, 2026.

Postal Service Seeks Waiver to Shift to January Rate Cycle

The Postal Regulatory Commission published a notice that on July 16, 2026, the Postal Service filed a motion pursuant to 39 CFR 3010.161 for a partial waiver of 39 CFR 3030.160, .161, and .162, which govern the applicability, data sources, and calculation of density rate authority for market dominant products and services.

The Postal Service states it is evaluating a shift of its planned annual market dominant price adjustments "to a more traditional January cycle," subject to approval of the Governors. It contends that implementing price adjustments in January "would generate much needed additional revenue sooner" and "is preferable to the majority of [Postal Service] customers, as [it] aligns with most budget-planning cycles," according to the notice. The Postal Service argues that the Commission's existing density rate authority rules prevent it from implementing a January 2027 price adjustment incorporating density rate authority, because it will not have a full year of data necessary for its usual calculation.

To address this, the Postal Service proposes using a modified set of inputs for calculating estimated FY 2026 density rate authority. These modifications include using draft June year-to-date FY 2026 actual volume plus forecasted FY 2026 Quarter 4 volumes (with April, May, and June 2026 volumes noted as unaudited); projecting FY 2026 delivery points by applying the straight average of the two most recent annual historical growth rates to the FY 2025 baseline; using the Institutional Cost Ratio from FY 2025 rather than FY 2026; and applying a 5 percent reduction to the estimated FY 2026 density rate authority to provide a conservative estimate. The Postal Service notes it must receive approval from the Governors no later than September 2026 in order to pursue a January 2027 adjustment. The Postal Service also proposes that any differential between its estimate and the final figure to be published in March 2027 be added to its banked authority if it has underestimated. Public responses to the Commission were due July 29, 2026.

FY 2027 Sugar Tariff-Rate Quota Allocations

The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) published notice of FY 2027 tariff-rate quota (TRQ) allocations for raw cane sugar, refined sugar, and sugar-containing products, effective July 24, 2026. The FY 2027 period runs from October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027.

The notice explains that pursuant to Additional U.S. Note 5 to Chapter 17 of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States, the United States maintains TRQs for raw cane sugar and refined sugar, and pursuant to Additional U.S. Note 8 to Chapter 17, a TRQ for sugar-containing products. On July 14, 2026, the Administrator of the Foreign Agricultural Service announced an in-quota quantity of 1,117,195 metric tons raw value (MTRV) for the raw cane sugar TRQ for FY 2027, described as the minimum amount to which the United States is committed under the World Trade Organization Agreement. USTR is allocating 1,061,202 MTRV of this quantity to 39 countries; the remaining 55,993 MTRV will be allocated prior to October 1, 2026. Among the largest country allocations: the Dominican Republic (189,343 MTRV), the Philippines (145,235 MTRV), Brazil (100,000 MTRV), Australia (89,293 MTRV), and Guatemala (51,639 MTRV). The notice states that allocations to countries that are net importers of sugar are conditioned on receipt of appropriate verifications of origin, and that certificates of quota eligibility must accompany imports from any country for which an allocation has been provided.

What to Watch

• July 29, 2026 — Deadline for public responses to the Postal Regulatory Commission on the Postal Service's partial waiver motion regarding density rate authority rules.
• August 24, 2026 — Deadline for comments to the OMB desk officer on the CMS collections covering the Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey and the Beneficiary and Family Centered Data Collection.
• September 22, 2026 — Deadline for public comments on both the OCSE voluntary paternity affidavit 3-year extension and the CMS 60-day notice covering the Medicare Transaction Facilitator and Prescription Drug Event data collections.
• September 2026 — The Postal Service states it must receive Governors' approval no later than this month to pursue a January 2027 market dominant price adjustment.
• October 1, 2026 — FY 2027 sugar TRQ period begins; USTR will allocate the remaining 55,993 MTRV of the raw cane sugar TRQ prior to this date.

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