Medical Records Access Fairness Act of 2026

This bill would change federal health privacy law so that health care providers generally could not charge people a fee for a copy of their own medical records, or a summary or explanation of them. A provider could charge only if the person asks for a duplicate copy already given to them in the same calendar year, or asks for a paper copy of records the provider already offers free on an online portal. When a person asks one provider to send records to another provider, the records may be sent in any form the receiving provider can readily use. The bill does not require free copies for a person's attorney. The Department of Health and Human Services would have six months to write rules, and the change would apply to requests made 180 days or more after the law is enacted.

Full text and official record on Congress.gov

Sponsors

• Bill Foster Democrat sponsor
• 1 cosponsors