GME Transparency Act of 2026
- Bill Number
- H.R. 8942
- Origin Chamber
- House
- Congress
- 119th Congress, Session 2
- Policy Area
- Health
- Status
- Introduced
- Latest Action
- 2026-05-20: Referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, and in addition to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
- Last Updated
- 2026-06-18T22:28:05Z
AI-Generated Summary
Purpose The legislation aims to increase transparency in Medicare-funded graduate medical education by requiring hospitals to report data on the citizenship and immigration status of residents in approved training programs.
Key Provisions
- Hospitals receiving Medicare payments for direct graduate medical education costs must submit deidentified information on residents’ status to the Secretary of Health and Human Services each fiscal year.
- Required categories include U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents, J-1 visa holders, H-1B visa holders, and others lawfully present in the United States.
- The Secretary must issue an annual report to Congress showing the number and percentage of residents in each category, broken down by state.
- Hospitals that fail to submit the required information will no longer qualify for these Medicare payments.
- The Secretary must provide hospitals with a standardized reporting form.
Significant Changes to Existing Law
- Amends section 1886(h) of the Social Security Act by adding a new paragraph (11) that establishes the reporting requirement and the annual congressional report.
- Modifies the definition of an “approved medical residency training program” in paragraph (5)(A) to exclude any program from a hospital that does not comply with the new reporting rules.
Potential Impacts
- Government agencies (particularly the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services) will gain new data collection and reporting responsibilities.
- Hospitals operating residency programs face additional administrative requirements and risk losing Medicare funding for noncompliance.
- Medical residents, especially those on temporary visas, may be indirectly affected through program-level reporting.
- No direct effects on international relations are stated in the bill.
Main Stakeholders Affected
- Hospitals with Medicare-funded residency programs.
- Medical residents enrolled in those programs.
- The Department of Health and Human Services and Congress.
- Medical education institutions and accrediting bodies.
Notable Legal, Constitutional, or Political Implications
- The bill links Medicare payment eligibility to compliance with federal reporting on immigration status, creating a new condition for funding.
- Data must be deidentified, which limits individual privacy concerns while still enabling aggregate analysis.
- The measure introduces congressional oversight of the composition of the physician workforce trained with public funds.
This summary was generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies. Refer to the official source document for the authoritative text.
Sponsor
Rep. Steube, W. Gregory [R-FL-17]
Recent Actions
- 2026-05-20: Referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, and in addition to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
- 2026-05-20: Referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, and in addition to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
- 2026-05-20: Introduced in House
- 2026-05-20: Introduced in House
Bill Versions
- GME Transparency Act of 2026 — issued 2026-05-20 — PDF (4 pages)