Ensuring Access to General Surgery Act of 2026
- Bill Number
- S. 4582
- Origin Chamber
- Senate
- Congress
- 119th Congress, Session 2
- Policy Area
- Health
- Status
- Introduced
- Latest Action
- 2026-05-20: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
- Last Updated
- 2026-06-09T19:30:30Z
AI-Generated Summary
Purpose This legislation amends the Public Health Service Act to address shortages of general surgeons. It directs a study on how to identify areas with insufficient access to general surgical care and authorizes the potential creation of a new designation system for general surgery shortage areas.
Key Provisions
- Adds a new Subpart XIII to Part D of Title III of the Public Health Service Act, creating Section 340J on General Surgery Shortage Areas.
- Defines a general surgery shortage area as any urban, suburban, or rural area underserved by general surgeons.
- Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services, through the Health Resources and Services Administration, to conduct a study examining:
- Whether existing health professional shortage area designations accurately reflect general surgeon needs.
- Alternative measures, such as those based on hospital service areas.
- Methodologies for designation, including one that develops surgery service areas using Medicare data, identifies practicing general surgeons, calculates surgeon-to-population ratios, and sets thresholds for optimal, adequate, shortage, and critical shortage levels (considering factors like wait times, outcomes, and travel time).
- Mandates a report to Congress within one year of enactment, with required consultation from medical societies, surgical facilities, general surgery experts, and patient organizations.
- Requires periodic publication of data on general surgery service availability and need in the Federal Register.
- Allows the Secretary to establish a designation methodology through notice-and-comment rulemaking, with annual review and updates, following procedures similar to those for health professional shortage areas under Section 332.
Significant Changes to Existing Law The bill introduces the first statutory framework specifically for designating general surgery shortage areas. It expands the Public Health Service Act by adding new study, reporting, and potential designation authorities focused on surgical workforce distribution, which are not currently addressed in this targeted manner.
Potential Impacts
- Government agencies: Increases responsibilities for the Health Resources and Services Administration to conduct studies, collect data, and potentially manage a new designation process.
- Citizens: Could lead to improved identification of underserved areas, potentially guiding future resource allocation, training, or incentives to increase general surgeon availability, especially in rural regions.
- International relations: No direct effects identified.
Main Stakeholders Affected
- Federal agencies, particularly the Health Resources and Services Administration.
- Medical societies, organizations representing surgical facilities, and general surgery experts.
- Patient advocacy groups.
- Healthcare providers and facilities in urban, suburban, and rural areas.
- Congress, through required reporting and oversight.
Notable Legal, Constitutional, or Political Implications The legislation relies on existing administrative rulemaking processes and consultation requirements, raising no apparent constitutional concerns. It emphasizes data-driven and stakeholder-informed approaches to workforce planning without mandating new funding or regulatory mandates beyond the study and optional designation process.
This summary was generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies. Refer to the official source document for the authoritative text.
Sponsor
Cosponsors (4)
Sen. Barrasso, John [R-WY], Sen. Cantwell, Maria [D-WA], Sen. Marshall, Roger [R-KS], Sen. Klobuchar, Amy [D-MN]
Recent Actions
- 2026-05-20: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
- 2026-05-20: Introduced in Senate
Bill Versions
- Ensuring Access to General Surgery Act of 2026 — issued 2026-05-20 — PDF (8 pages)