Bill · S. 4499· Senate(119-S-4499)
ALERT Act of 2026
- Introduced
- 5/12/2026
- Last activity
- 5/12/2026 — Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
- Sponsored by
- Thomas Tillis
- Cosponsors
- - 0 - 1
- Introduced
- In Committee
What this bill would do
This bill, known as the "ALERT Act of 2026," seeks to amend the Public Health Service Act. It requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to expand the National Healthcare Safety Network. The goal is to establish real-time surveillance for infectious diseases and public health threats in nursing homes. The Secretary will implement a 5-year program to build the necessary technological and analytic infrastructure. This includes creating a central hub of experts to identify outbreaks quickly and notify health authorities.
Yes· 3 of 5
Does this make the country readier for the next outbreak?+6
The bill establishes real-time infectious disease and public health threat surveillance capabilities within nursing homes.
Would people over 65 be better off under this?+5
The bill enhances health surveillance and care management for residents in nursing homes, who are predominantly seniors.
Would retired people be better off under this?+5
The bill improves health outcomes and outbreak detection for nursing home residents, a group often composed of retirees.
The opposite
No question was scored the opposite.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
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Real-time disease monitoring: The bill aims to provide real-time monitoring of emerging infectious diseases and public health threats among nursing homes nationwide (Section 2(c)(1)(A)).
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Rapid outbreak identification: The infrastructure will establish a central hub of epidemiologists and public health professionals to support the rapid identification of outbreaks (Section 2(c)(1)(C)).
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Improved notification systems: The program ensures immediate notification to appropriate Federal, State, and local health authorities (Section 2(c)(1)(D)).
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Enhanced resident care: The system supports the implementation of a staffed care management program that skilled nursing facilities may opt into to improve resident health outcomes (Section 2(c)(1)(E) and Section 3).
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Data privacy protections: The bill ensures appropriate privacy protections for individual patient data (Section 2(c)(2)) and requires the contracted entity to comply with all applicable Federal privacy and security requirements (Section 2(d)(2)).
Potential Negative Impacts for People
- No specific negative impacts are explicitly stated in the provided text.
Groups and Interests Ranking
Every group the model scored this bill for, from -10 to +10. Hover a score for the reason it gave.
- Demographic And Interest Groups
- Good For Retirees+5Good For Seniors+5
- Healthcare
- Improves Pandemic Preparedness+6Improves Healthcare Access+3
- Education And Technology
- Increases Scientific Research Funding+4
- 5/12/2026
- Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- Introduced in Senate
John HickenlooperDemocrat · Colorado