PlainBillCongress, translated.Legislation. Context. Public interest.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.
Congressional Research Service
Version 00 · Introduced in House · Feb 13, 2025
No Patient Left Alone Act of 2025
This bill requires hospitals, as a condition of Medicare participation, to have certain written policies and procedures that provide for patient visitation rights and to inform patients of such rights, including any applicable restrictions.
People & committees
Rep. Van Drew, Jefferson [R-NJ-2] · R–NJ
Legislative record
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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.
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.
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: Mar 21, 2025. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
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PlainBill explanation
Based on the full Introduced in House · 2025-02-13 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.
The proposed No Patient Left Alone Act of 2025 would require institutions covered by the amended Social Security Act provision to explain patients’ visitation rights and restrictions. Patients could choose their visitors and withdraw consent. Institutions could impose clinically necessary or reasonable restrictions, but would have to provide equal visitation privileges and prohibit discrimination on specified grounds.
This Act may be cited as the No Patient Left Alone Act of 2025.
has written policies and procedures regarding the visitation rights of individuals receiving items and services at the institution, which shall include a description of any clinically necessary or reasonable restriction or limitation that such institution may need to place on such rights and the reasons for the clinical restriction or limitation
(B) inform each such individual of the right, subject to the individual’s consent, to receive the visitors whom the individual designates, including a spouse, another family member, or a friend, and the individual’s right to withdraw or deny such consent at any time; (C) may not restrict, limit, or otherwise deny visitation privileges on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, or disability; and (D) ensure that all visitors enjoy full and equal visitation privileges consistent with this paragraph;
The bill would add a requirement for written visitation policies and procedures to section 1861(e) of the Social Security Act. Those policies would have to describe any clinically necessary or reasonable visitation restrictions the institution may need and explain the reasons for clinical restrictions.
Section 1861 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395x) is amended— (1) in subsection (e)
(9) has written policies and procedures regarding the visitation rights of individuals receiving items and services at the institution, which shall include a description of any clinically necessary or reasonable restriction or limitation that such institution may need to place on such rights and the reasons for the clinical restriction or limitation
Institutions would have to tell each person receiving items and services about their visitation rights, including any clinical restrictions or limits.
(A) inform each such individual of his or her visitation rights, including any clinical restriction or limitation on such rights;
Institutions would have to tell patients that they may designate visitors, including a spouse, another family member, or a friend. Visits would depend on the patient’s consent, which the patient could withdraw or deny at any time.
(B) inform each such individual of the right, subject to the individual’s consent, to receive the visitors whom the individual designates, including a spouse, another family member, or a friend, and the individual’s right to withdraw or deny such consent at any time;
Institutions could not restrict or deny visitation privileges because of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, or disability. They would have to give all visitors full and equal privileges consistent with the proposed visitation requirements.
(C) may not restrict, limit, or otherwise deny visitation privileges on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, or disability; and (D) ensure that all visitors enjoy full and equal visitation privileges consistent with this paragraph;
To make room for the visitation requirement, the bill would renumber existing paragraph (9) as paragraph (10) and update references in subsections (e) and (f). The supplied text does not reproduce the existing provisions affected by those reference changes.
(B) by redesignating paragraph (9) as paragraph (10); (C) by inserting after paragraph (8) the following new paragraph:
(D) in the matter following paragraph (10), as redesignated, by striking paragraph (9) each place it appears and inserting paragraph (10) in each such place; and (2) in subsection (f), by striking (9) and inserting (10).
The supplied actions snapshot, updated March 21, 2025, records introduction in the House on February 13, 2025, and referral that day to the Ways and Means and Energy and Commerce committees for consideration within their respective jurisdictions.
Source snapshot updated 2025-03-21T16:34:10Z.
2025-02-13: Introduced in House
2025-02-13: 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.
A closer look
Reviewed version: Introduced in House · 2025-02-13. 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 is limited to that version and does not establish absence in 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 is limited to that version and does not establish absence in other versions or accompanying materials.
Narrow exceptions, exemptions, or preferential treatment that warrant a closer look.
None identified in the reviewed text
No materially narrow preferential treatment, carve-out, or special exemption was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. Equal visitation protections do not by themselves constitute preferential treatment. This conclusion is limited to that version and does not establish absence in other versions or accompanying materials.
Full text preserved for this analysis. Legislative record snapshot: Mar 21, 2025. How PlainBill uses AI