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HR 4712118th CongressFailed / ExpiredHouse

Patient Right to Shop Act

Policy Area: Health
View on Congress.gov
Origin Chamber
House
Last Updated
Jul 21, 2025
Latest Action Date
Dec 17, 2024

Latest Action

Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.

Official Summary

Official summary has not been imported yet.

GovScope Watchdog™

AI Government Intelligence™
Executive Summary

The Patient Right to Shop Act (H.R. 4712) is a health policy bill introduced in the 118th Congress aimed at enhancing patient choice in healthcare services. Although the official summary and full text are not available, the bill's title suggests it focuses on empowering patients to shop for healthcare services, potentially promoting price transparency and competition among providers. The bill was referred to the House Subcommittee on Health but ultimately failed or expired without further legislative action.

Bottom Line

H.R. 4712 sought to increase patient autonomy in selecting healthcare services but did not advance beyond initial committee referral and expired without enactment.

Policy Risk Level
🟡 Medium
Neutral Risk Assessment
Key Points
  • The bill is titled the Patient Right to Shop Act, indicating a focus on patient choice in healthcare.
  • It was introduced in the House during the 118th Congress and referred to the Subcommittee on Health on December 17, 2024.
  • The bill did not progress beyond referral and is currently classified as failed or expired.
Who Benefits?

['Patients seeking greater choice and price transparency in healthcare services', 'Healthcare providers who compete on price and quality', 'Health insurers potentially involved in facilitating patient shopping']

Potential Concerns

['Lack of available full bill text limits understanding of specific provisions and implementation mechanisms', 'Unclear funding sources or enforcement authorities due to missing text', 'Potential challenges in oversight and ensuring equitable access to shopping options']

Political Context

The bill was introduced in the House during the 118th Congress and referred to the Subcommittee on Health. It did not advance further and expired, indicating limited legislative momentum or prioritization. The policy area is health, reflecting ongoing congressional interest in healthcare consumer empowerment and cost transparency.

Hidden Impact Review

Hidden impact flags detected: 2

GovScope reviewed 2 policy-risk categories. Hover for a quick definition. Click detected flags for bill-specific details.

2 Detected
Detected Flags
Indirect Effects

['If enacted, the bill could encourage healthcare providers to offer more competitive pricing and improve transparency.', 'Potential shifts in patient behavior toward more cost-conscious healthcare decisions.', 'Possible administrative adjustments for insurers and providers to support patient shopping mechanisms.']

GovScope Watchdog Notes

The absence of the full bill text and official summary significantly limits transparency and the ability to conduct a thorough policy analysis. The bill's failure to progress beyond subcommittee referral suggests limited legislative support or prioritization. Future proposals on similar topics would benefit from complete documentation to facilitate informed public and legislative scrutiny.

Passage Likelihood: LowConfidence: 60%Model: gpt-4.1-mini

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