PlainBillCongress, translated.Legislation. Context. Public interest.Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means.
Congressional Research Service
No official summary is available in the imported record yet.
People & committees
Rep. Edwards, Chuck [R-NC-11] · R–NC
Legislative record
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Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means.
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Primary sources
Text links open the official source. We also preserved the text version used in the PlainBill explanation below.
No related bills are listed in this snapshot. This does not establish whether the proposal has appeared in earlier Congresses.
Source last updated: Sep 9, 2026. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
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PlainBill explanation
Based on the full Introduced in House · 2026-09-08 text. This explanation has not received human editorial review. This overview describes the proposal’s major provisions; it does not establish what its real-world effects would be.
This bill would authorize financial penalties for certain hospitals when the Secretary makes a qualifying determination and immediate-jeopardy finding and has previously made such a determination and finding for the same hospital within the preceding two years. The proposed penalty could reach $10,000 per day of an ongoing failure, but nonprofit hospitals would be excluded. It would also require centralized public reporting of qualifying determinations and findings on the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services website. The supplied evidence documents the introduced proposal and does not establish enactment.
(5) (A) In the case that the Secretary makes a determination described in subparagraph (A) or (B) of paragraph (2) with respect to a specified hospital and finds that the failure that is the subject of such determination immediately jeopardizes the health or safety of individuals receiving items and services from such hospital, the Secretary may, in the case the Secretary has previously made such a determination and finding with respect to such hospital during the 2-year period ending on the date of the determination and finding at issue, in addition to or in lieu of any action authorized under paragraph (2), impose a civil monetary penalty in an amount not to exceed $10,000 for each day during which such failure was ongoing.
(B) The Secretary shall make available on a public website of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services in a centralized manner each determination described in subparagraph (A) with respect to which the Secretary has made a finding described in such subparagraph.
(other than such a hospital, critical access hospital, or rural emergency hospital that is a nonprofit entity)
Source snapshot updated 2026-09-09T14:52:43Z. 2026-09-08: Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means. 2026-09-08: Introduced in House
Section 1 would name the bill the Health Care Accountability Mission Act of 2026.
1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Health Care Accountability Mission Act of 2026.
Section 2 would add a penalty provision to section 1866(b) of the Social Security Act. It would cover hospitals, critical access hospitals, and rural emergency hospitals with an agreement under that section, while excluding nonprofit entities.
Section 1866(b) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395cc(b)) is amended by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
(D) For purposes of this paragraph, the term specified hospital means a hospital, critical access hospital, or rural emergency hospital with an agreement under this section (other than such a hospital, critical access hospital, or rural emergency hospital that is a nonprofit entity).
The Secretary could impose a civil monetary penalty—a financial sanction—after making a determination under existing paragraph (2)(A) or (B) and finding that the failure immediately jeopardizes the health or safety of people receiving hospital items and services. A previous qualifying determination and finding for the same hospital within the two-year period ending on the current determination and finding would also be required. The text does not require the earlier determination and finding to concern a distinct failure. The penalty would be discretionary, capped at $10,000 for each day the failure continued, and could supplement or replace actions authorized under paragraph (2).
(5) (A) In the case that the Secretary makes a determination described in subparagraph (A) or (B) of paragraph (2) with respect to a specified hospital and finds that the failure that is the subject of such determination immediately jeopardizes the health or safety of individuals receiving items and services from such hospital, the Secretary may, in the case the Secretary has previously made such a determination and finding with respect to such hospital during the 2-year period ending on the date of the determination and finding at issue, in addition to or in lieu of any action authorized under paragraph (2), impose a civil monetary penalty in an amount not to exceed $10,000 for each day during which such failure was ongoing.
The Secretary would have to publish each determination described in the new penalty provision for which the Secretary made the specified immediate-jeopardy finding. These records would have to appear centrally on a public Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services website; the publication requirement does not expressly depend on imposing a penalty.
(B) The Secretary shall make available on a public website of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services in a centralized manner each determination described in subparagraph (A) with respect to which the Secretary has made a finding described in such subparagraph.
The proposal would apply the rules in section 1128A, except subsections (a) and (b), to the new penalties in the same manner as they apply to penalties or proceedings under section 1128A(a). The supplied bill does not reproduce those rules.
(C) The provisions of section 1128A (other than subsections (a) and (b) of such section) shall apply to a civil monetary penalty under subparagraph (A) in the same manner as such provisions apply to a penalty or proceeding under section 1128A(a).
The supplied official-actions snapshot, updated September 9, 2026, records introduction in the House and referral to the House Committee on Ways and Means on September 8, 2026. It does not establish what happened after that snapshot.
Source snapshot updated 2026-09-09T14:52:43Z. 2026-09-08: Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means. 2026-09-08: Introduced in House
A closer look
Reviewed version: Introduced in House · 2026-09-08. These findings describe provisions and who may benefit; they are not judgments of waste, corruption, or motive.
This review covers the supplied bill text. “None identified” does not rule out provisions in later versions or accompanying reports and disclosures.
Provisions outside the bill’s main subject, or policy changes attached to appropriations.
None identified in the reviewed text
No unrelated provision or policy change attached to appropriations was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion does not cover other versions or accompanying materials.
Spending directed to particular recipients or places outside ordinary competitive or formula-based allocation.
None identified in the reviewed text
No congressionally directed spending for particular recipients or places was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion does not establish the absence of earmarks in other versions or accompanying materials.
Narrow exceptions, exemptions, or preferential treatment that warrant a closer look.
Findings to examine
An express exemption warrants scrutiny as a targeted benefit. This classification is not a judgment about its justification.
Nonprofit hospitals, critical access hospitals, and rural emergency hospitals would be excluded from the definition governing the new penalty authority. This exempts them from the proposed sanctions that otherwise-covered hospitals could face after a current qualifying determination and immediate-jeopardy finding when a prior qualifying determination and finding occurred for the same hospital within the specified two-year period. A distinct earlier failure is not expressly required.
(D) For purposes of this paragraph, the term specified hospital means a hospital, critical access hospital, or rural emergency hospital with an agreement under this section (other than such a hospital, critical access hospital, or rural emergency hospital that is a nonprofit entity).
(5) (A) In the case that the Secretary makes a determination described in subparagraph (A) or (B) of paragraph (2) with respect to a specified hospital and finds that the failure that is the subject of such determination immediately jeopardizes the health or safety of individuals receiving items and services from such hospital, the Secretary may, in the case the Secretary has previously made such a determination and finding with respect to such hospital during the 2-year period ending on the date of the determination and finding at issue, in addition to or in lieu of any action authorized under paragraph (2), impose a civil monetary penalty in an amount not to exceed $10,000 for each day during which such failure was ongoing.
Full text preserved for this analysis. Legislative record snapshot: Sep 9, 2026. How PlainBill uses AI