Your medical records should be free. This bill finally makes it law.
H.R. 7790 — Medical Records Access Fairness Act of 2026 · Filed by Bill Foster (D-IL) · 1 cosponsor · Introduced Mar 4, 2026 · Referred to committee
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What it does
This bill amends federal health privacy law to require healthcare providers to give patients free copies of their own medical records in electronic form, with limited exceptions: providers can charge only for duplicate copies requested in the same calendar year or for paper copies when electronic access is already available. Patients benefit by gaining affordable access to their health data; providers face modest compliance costs but retain reasonable fee authority for duplicates and physical copies.
Why we flagged it
The bill's core function is to expand patient rights to free access of personal health information, a consumer protection measure that increases transparency and individual agency in healthcare.
What the text implies
- May accelerate adoption of electronic health record (EHR) systems and interoperability standards, as providers optimize for low-cost digital delivery.
- Could enable patients to shop for healthcare services more effectively by comparing quality and pricing across providers using their own records.
- May increase administrative burden on smaller healthcare practices that lack robust EHR infrastructure, potentially widening the digital divide between large and small providers.
- Facilitates patient data portability, which could indirectly support emerging health data marketplaces and patient-controlled health records platforms.
Who it affects
Ordinary citizens gain a concrete right to affordable access to their own medical records, reducing information asymmetry and enabling better health decision-making, price comparison, and second opinions. The exceptions are narrow and reasonable, and the burden on providers is manageable.
Who stands to gain
- Electronic health record (EHR) software vendors
- Health data interoperability platforms
- Patient advocacy organizations
- Telehealth and direct-to-consumer health services
Named in the bill
HITECH Act (Section 13405), HHS (Department of Health and Human Services), 45 CFR 164.524 (HIPAA Privacy Rule), Healthcare providers, Health care providers
Where it stands
1 cosponsor: 1 Democrats.
- Mar 4, 2026 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
- Mar 4, 2026 — Referred to House Committee on Energy and Commerce · Congress.gov: “Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce”
Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.
How this was measured
Analysis — Quorum's AI read the full bill text on Jul 5, 2026; transparency and hidden-provision scores are compared against the median of 16,222 analysed bills.
Status and sponsors — Congress.gov's bill record — actions, committee referrals and cosponsors — loaded nightly. The timeline shows status changes, not every procedural action.
As of — page rendered 2026-10-20.
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