Sponsors (29)
The bill sets a time-limited, stakeholder-informed HHS study that could improve and make pain-management policies more equitable for gynecologic patients, but it delays immediate fixes, may raise federal costs, and offers no guarantee recommendations will be adopted.
Patients undergoing gynecologic procedures (particularly women and people with chronic conditions) could gain improved access to pain relief if HHS's study leads to recommended administrative or legislative changes.
Marginalized patients (women, low-income individuals, and people with disabilities) will have their experiences solicited through stakeholder consultation, increasing the likelihood that resulting pain-management policies address equity concerns.
Federal and state health systems (HHS, state governments, hospitals and health systems) get a defined 24-month deadline for HHS to deliver findings and actionable recommendations to Congress, creating accountability and a clear timeline for policy consideration.
HHS's study findings may not be adopted by agencies or Congress, so recommended administrative or legislative changes might never be implemented, leaving access and equity problems unaddressed.
Women and other current patients could experience delayed improvements to pain management because the study may take up to 24 months before producing recommendations.
Taxpayers and federal employees could face higher costs or staff diversion if the study requires new research, increasing HHS expenditures or reducing capacity for other agency programs.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Requires HHS to study barriers to offering and accessing pain management during gynecologic procedures and report findings and recommendations to Congress within 24 months.
Official title: To direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to conduct a study to assess barriers to pain management methods during gynecologic procedures.
Introduced March 30, 2026 by Yassamin Ansari · Last progress March 30, 2026
Requires the HHS Secretary to carry out a comprehensive study on barriers that keep health care providers from offering and patients from accessing pain management methods during gynecologic procedures. The study must review existing literature, conduct new research if needed, consult a list of stakeholders, and deliver a report with findings and recommendations to two congressional committees within 24 months of enactment.