Grandstanding In Congressional Hearings Doesn’t Solve Healthcare Problems

InnovationHealthcareGrandstanding In Congressional Hearings Doesn’t Solve Healthcare ProblemsByJoshua P. Cohen,Senior Contributor.Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Joshua Cohen is a Boston-based writer who covers health policy.Follow AuthorMay 08, 2026, 03:43pm EDT--:-- / --:--This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.Hearings on healthcare on Capitol Hill are increasingly dominated by grandstanding on both sides of the aisle. The heavily politicized nature of these events doesn't lend itself to constructive problem-solving.gettyHearings on healthcare on Capitol Hill often devolve into partisan grandstanding on both sides of the aisle. The heavily politicized nature of these events usually doesn’t lend itself to constructive problem-solving.At a January hearing, for instance, bickering politicians on both sides of the aisle agreed on one thing. painting a picture of bogeymen CEOs as healthcare villains, if you will. The Washington Post summed it up as follows:“Despite partisan divide over solutions, Republicans and Democrats join in berating health insurance executives for rising premiums, denial of care and their multimillion-dollar compensation.”Designed as oversight, House and Senate hearings have brought in pharmacy benefit manager, insurer, drug company and hospital executives to testify. Undoubtedly, holding these individuals accountable for their actions and decision-making is an important function of these sessions. But lawmakers often appear more focused on badgering witnesses (as if they’re on trial as defendants) or repeating often diametrically opposed political positions than attempting to find bipartisan policy solutions.This may be great for politically charged soundbites, but it begs the question, what’s the point of these hearings? At a high level, lawmakers may want to have as a backdrop to each hearing the objectives laid out in the Triple Aim...