Sponsors (2)
The bill increases patient and caregiver access to medical records and clarifies regulatory timelines, at the cost of added administrative/IT burdens for providers and potential fees or access limits for some repeat requests and legal uses.
Patients (especially those with chronic conditions) can obtain copies and plain‑language summaries of their medical records for free, improving access to personal health information and enabling better self‑management.
Patients and receiving providers (and hospitals/health systems) can request direct electronic transfer of records in a 'readily usable' format, making care coordination and continuity of care easier.
Family caregivers (when expressly requested) can receive protected health information or plain‑language summaries at no cost, helping caregivers manage care for loved ones.
Hospitals and providers will face additional administrative and IT costs to prepare free summaries, maintain portals, and support required transmission formats, increasing operating expenses.
Patients who need repeated or duplicate records within the same calendar year (e.g., complex care patients) may face fees for duplicate requests, which could limit access for some.
Clarifying that attorneys are not entitled to free copies of PHI could complicate legal or benefits claims for patients who cannot afford records fees, potentially hindering access to justice.
Based on analysis of 4 sections of legislative text.
Requires providers to give individuals (and, if requested, their clinician or family caregiver) free copies or summaries of PHI, with limited exceptions, and to transmit records in a "readily usable" format.
Requires health care providers to give people free copies or plain-language summaries/explanations of their protected health information (PHI), and to provide those records to a patient’s clinician or family caregiver if requested. It limits when providers can charge (duplicates in the same year and non-electronic copies already freely available online), lets providers send records to another clinician in any form that is "readily usable," excludes attorneys from the free-access requirement, and directs HHS to issue implementing regulations within six months; the rule applies to requests made 180 days after enactment.
Introduced March 4, 2026 by Bill Foster · Last progress March 4, 2026