Sponsors
This bill speeds and simplifies emergency cross-state deployment of vetted contract health workers by standardizing waivers and offering liability protections, improving surge capacity but raising risks to patient legal remedies, care oversight, state regulatory control, and potential taxpayer exposure.
State and local health systems can rapidly access vetted, credentialed independent-contractor health workers during declared emergencies, increasing surge capacity and access to care for patients (including those with chronic conditions).
Creates standardized model waiver procedures and coordination to streamline cross-state licensure, reducing administrative delays when deploying clinicians across state lines during emergencies.
Provides liability protections and Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA) coverage for contractors operating under federal agreements, lowering legal risk and encouraging private platforms and contractors to participate in emergency response.
Patients (including those with chronic conditions) may face reduced legal recourse for harms caused by contractor-provided care because liability is limited except for willful misconduct or gross negligence.
Rapid reliance on out-of-state contractors vetted by private platforms risks variable oversight and inconsistent enforcement of state-specific rules, which could degrade care quality and patient safety.
State licensing authority is partially preempted during waivers, reducing state control over practitioner qualifications and discipline during emergencies and limiting states' ability to enforce local standards.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Authorizes federal certification of private platforms to deploy credentialed independent-contractor health workers in emergencies, facilitates state licensure waivers, and provides limited liability protections.
Introduced December 9, 2025 by David Rouzer · Last progress December 9, 2025
Authorizes the President to certify private "health care workforce platforms" and to enter voluntary agreements with them so credentialed independent-contractor health care workers can be deployed during declared emergencies. It directs the federal government to help states implement temporary licensure waivers for out-of-state independent contractors, sets rules for coordination and reporting, and provides limited liability protection for covered contractors while requiring the President to write implementing regulations. The law requires annual reporting on the use of state licensure waivers beginning within one year of enactment, allows the federal government to treat certain private platform personnel as federal employees under the Federal Tort Claims Act for covered emergency actions, and preserves exceptions for willful misconduct, gross negligence, or bad faith.