Bill · S. 1140· Senate(119-S-1140)
Health ACCESS Act
- Introduced
- 3/26/2025
- Last activity
- 3/26/2025 — Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
- Sponsored by
- Bill Cassidy
- Cosponsors
- - 0 - 1
- Introduced
- In Committee
What this bill would do
This bill, known as the "Health ACCESS Act," aims to amend the Social Security Act to lower barriers and increase patient access to health care. It specifically targets amendments to section 1128B regarding remuneration. The legislation allows for payments from health care providers or suppliers to information service providers that operate web-based platforms. To ensure fairness, the bill sets several strict conditions on these information service providers. These conditions include rules against steering consumers toward specific providers based on pay and restrictions on how consumer information is used.
Yes
Does this make health care easier to get in general?+6
The bill aims to increase patient access to healthcare by lowering barriers through web-based information services.
Does this give people more protection from unfair business practices?+5
The bill enhances consumer protection by requiring transparency in financial arrangements and prohibiting biased provider steering.
Does this give people more control over their personal data?+4
The bill includes specific prohibitions against sharing consumer contact information with providers without consent.
The opposite
No question was scored the opposite.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
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Increased access to information: The bill allows for information service providers to operate web-based platforms that make information about providers of services or suppliers available to consumers (Section 2, Paragraph 3, Subparagraph M).
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Consumer protection through transparency: Information service providers must clearly disclose the financial arrangement between themselves and the participating providers or suppliers to the consumers (Section 2, Paragraph 3, Subparagraph M, clause iii).
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Protection against bias and steering: The bill prohibits information service providers from steering or leading a consumer to select a specific provider based on how much that provider pays the service provider (Section 2, Paragraph 3, Subparagraph M, clause i, I).
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Protection of consumer privacy: The law prohibits information service providers from providing contact information regarding a consumer to providers or suppliers, except for the specific provider the consumer has selected (Section 2, Paragraph 3, Subparagraph M, clause i, III).
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Objective provider information: Information service providers are required to furnish provider- and supplier-specific information to consumers based only on objective, consumer-centric criteria (Section 2, Paragraph 3, Subparagraph M, clause iv).
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Equal opportunity for providers: The bill requires that information service providers develop objective criteria for participation so they do not exclude providers or suppliers who meet those criteria (Section 2, Paragraph 3, Subparagraph M, clause v).
Potential Negative Impacts for People
- Potential for targeted marketing: While the bill limits targeted marketing through phone calls or text messages for those who have not interacted with the service or have opted out, it does not explicitly prohibit all forms of marketing (Section 2, Paragraph 3, Subparagraph M, clause i, VI).
Groups and Interests Ranking
Every group the model scored this bill for, from -10 to +10. Hover a score for the reason it gave.
- Healthcare
- Improves Healthcare Access+6
- Economy And Finance
- Improves Consumer Protection+5
- Education And Technology
- Improves Data Privacy+4
- 3/26/2025
- Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- Introduced in Senate
One bill Congress.gov lists as related to this one — companions in the other chamber, earlier versions, and bills this one absorbed or was folded into.
Alex PadillaDemocrat · California