Medicare opens family caregiver access to beneficiary health data

What it does

This bill amends Medicare law to allow beneficiaries to authorize family caregivers to access their personal health information by calling 1-800-MEDICARE and submitting an authorization form. The bill requires the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to conduct outreach and education to inform Medicare beneficiaries, providers, and caregivers about this option, including best practices to prevent fraud and information about fraud reporting mechanisms.

Why we flagged it

The bill's core function is to modernize Medicare's information-access procedures by enabling family caregivers to retrieve beneficiary health data through an existing phone line, coupled with fraud-prevention education. It is a procedural and educational measure, not a substantive benefit expansion or cost control.

What the text implies

• Authorizing third-party access to Medicare beneficiary health information via phone creates a new vector for social engineering or impersonation fraud if authentication procedures are weak; the bill requires fraud-protection best practices but does not specify authentication standards.
• The bill delegates significant discretion to the Secretary of HHS to define 'family caregiver' beyond the statutory definition, potentially expanding access to non-traditional caregivers without explicit congressional approval.
• Outreach and education requirements may create administrative costs for CMS and providers, though the bill does not specify funding or appropriations.

Who it affects

The bill expands access to Medicare information for family caregivers, potentially improving care coordination and reducing administrative burden for elderly and disabled beneficiaries who rely on family support. It includes fraud-protection safeguards and requires education on fraud reporting, which protects vulnerable populations.

Named in the bill

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Office of the Inspector General (OIG), 1-800-MEDICARE, Medicare.gov, State health insurance assistance programs, Administration for Community Living, Recognize, Assist, Include, Support, and Engage Family Caregivers Act of 2017

Where it stands

5 cosponsors: 4 Democrats, 1 Republicans.

• Dec 16, 2025 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
• Dec 16, 2025 — Referred to House Committee on Energy and Commerce and House Committee on Ways and Means · Congress.gov: “Referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, and in addition to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, for a…”

Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.

Money around this bill

1 lobbying clients named this bill on 1 disclosure filings across 1 quarter, Dec 2025 to Dec 2025. Those filings disclosed $5,300,000 in lobbying spend. A filing names 104 bills on average, so that figure is what each filing reported, not a share belonging to this bill.

More lobbying clients named this bill than 0% of bills with at least one filing.

Mike Carey, the sponsor, reported $1,809,017 in PAC receipts in the 2026 cycle.

• AARP — $5,300,000 on 1 filing

Lobbying Disclosure Act filings through Jan 20, 2026. A filing shows who paid to lobby on a bill it names, not what changed.