{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://ciscomani.house.gov/media/press-releases/rep-ciscomani-leads-bipartisan-letter-urging-cms-modernize-sleep-apnea", "Rep. Ciscomani Leads Bipartisan Letter Urging CMS to Modernize Sleep Apnea Coverage Standards", "2025-12-17", "2025", "2025-12", "Republican", "House", "AZ", "Juan Ciscomani", "C001133", "ciscomani.house.gov", "ciscomani", "https://ciscomani.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 Congressman Juan Ciscomani is spearheading an effort to modernize how the federal government treats people suffering from sleep apnea, a serious medical condition that effects an estimated 30 million Americans.\n\nIn a bipartisan letter to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Ciscomani and 17 colleagues are urging the agency to modernize coverage determinations for obstructive sleep apnea diagnosis and treatment to reflect current medical science and standards of care.\n\nThe letter, supported by 18 different professional and patient support organizations, highlights growing concerns that outdated criteria are preventing many Americans \u2014 particularly women and younger individuals \u2014 from receiving accurate diagnoses and timely treatment.\n\n\u201cUpdating current criteria in a timely fashion will ensure access to proper diagnosis and treatment options for all people experiencing serious symptoms and health consequences of sleep apnea, including women and younger individuals, to better reflect the real-life variations of how sleep apnea manifests in individuals,\u201d the members of Congress wrote.\n\nSleep apnea is a serious condition that causes breathing to stop and start several times during sleep and can drastically worsen other chronic and acute health conditions. Symptoms include loud snoring, gasping, daytime fatigue, and morning headaches, leading to high blood pressure and heart problems if left untreated.\n\nCiscomani and his colleagues emphasize that decades of research have demonstrated that obstructive sleep apnea manifests differently across patient populations and that CMS policies have not kept pace with the science. They specifically call on CMS to provide an update on adopting the widely supported H3A hypopnea definition, which medical experts say would improve access to care and health outcomes while reducing long-term health care costs.\n\nCiscomani underscored the urgency of aligning federal coverage policies with modern medical standards.\n\n\u201cSleep apnea is a serious public health issue that affects millions of Americans, yet too many patients are falling through the cracks because federal coverage standards are outdated,\u201d said Ciscomani. \u201cWe have a responsibility to ensure CMS policies reflect current science so patients can access timely, accurate diagnoses and effective treatment \u2014 especially women and others whose symptoms have historically been overlooked.\u201d\n\nThe letter is supported by a broad coalition of 18 national medical, patient advocacy, and research organizations representing clinicians, sleep specialists, and patients across the country, including:\n\nAlliance of Sleep Apnea Partners\n\nAmerican Academy of Cardiovascular Sleep Medicine\n\nAmerican Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine\n\nAmerican Academy of Sleep Medicine\n\nAmerican Association for Respiratory Care\n\nAmerican Association of Sleep Technologists\n\nAmerican College of Chest Physicians\n\nAmerican Heart Association\n\nAmerican Thoracic Society\n\nCircadian Sleep Disorders Network\n\nHypersomnia Foundation\n\nNarcolepsy Network\n\nNational Sleep Foundation\n\nProject Sleep\n\nRestless Legs Syndrome Foundation\n\nSleep Consortium\n\nSleep Research Society\n\nWake Up Narcolepsy\n\nJulie Flygare, JD, President and CEO of Project Sleep, praised Rep. Ciscomani\u2019s leadership on the issue:\n\n\u201cThis is such an important issue to ensure people \u2014 especially women \u2014 receive accurate sleep apnea diagnosis and treatment,\u201d said Flygare. \u201cWe are grateful to Congressman Ciscomani for leading this critical effort to modernize coverage standards and help more Americans get the restorative sleep they need to live healthy, productive lives.\u201d\n\nThe bipartisan letter was led by Congressman Juan Ciscomani (R-AZ-06) and signed by Representatives Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (D-GA-02), Tim Burchett (R-TN-02), Salud Carbajal (D-CA-24), Donald G. Davis (D-NC-01), Suzan K. DelBene (D-WA-01), Laura Friedman (D-CA-30), Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ-05), Zoe Lofgren (D-CA-18), Stephen F. Lynch (D-MA-08), Lucy McBath (D-GA-06), Rich McCormick, MD, MBA (R-GA-07), Kristen McDonald Rivet (D-MI-08), Joe Neguse (D-CO-02), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC-AL), Chris Pappas (D-NH-01), John H. Rutherford (R-FL-05), James R. Walkinshaw (D-VA-11), and Stephen F. Lynch (D-MA-08).", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://ciscomani.house.gov/media/press-releases/rep-ciscomani-leads-bipartisan-letter-urging-cms-modernize-sleep-apnea"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.9387123174965382, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}