PlainBillCongress, translated.Legislation. Context. Public interest.Congressional Research Service
Version 00 · Introduced in House · Jul 20, 2009
Access to Medical Treatment Act - Gives an individual the right to be treated by a health care practitioner with any medical treatment that the individual desires, including a treatment that is not approved, certified, or licensed by the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), if: (1) the practitioner has personally examined the individual and agrees to treat the individual; and (2) the administration of such treatment does not violate licensing laws.
Authorizes health care practitioners to provide any method of treatment to such an individual if certain requirements are met, including that: (1) there is no reason to conclude that such treatment will cause danger to the individual; and (2) the patient is informed in writing that such treatment has not been approved, certified, or licensed by the Secretary. Requires a practitioner to report: (1) administering such treatment and discovering it to be a danger to an individual; and (2) the positive effects of an unconventional medical treatment for a life-threatening medical condition. Allows an individual to introduce or deliver into interstate commerce, or to produce, transport, receive, or hold, a food, drug, device, or equipment solely for use in accordance with this Act if there have been no advertising claims made by the manufacturer, distributor, or seller with respect to a medical treatment. States that nothing in this Act shall in any way adversely affect the distribution or sale of dietary supplements.
People & committees
Rep. Burton, Dan [R-IN-5] · R–IN
Legislative record
A procedural vote is different from passage. Passage in one chamber does not establish enactment. Explore the glossary.
Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Primary sources
Text links open the official source. We currently store references to these documents.
No related bills are listed in this snapshot. This does not establish whether the proposal has appeared in earlier Congresses.
Source last updated: Aug 14, 2025. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
AI Conversation Starters
Choose a perspective, copy a prompt, and paste it into your preferred AI. Each prompt includes the bill version and available official source links, and asks for counterarguments as well as supporting evidence.
Analyze H.R.3261 as objectively as possible. Explain its main provisions, who would be affected, possible benefits and harms, implementation, exceptions, and uncertainties. Present the strongest arguments for and against it, and identify evidence needed to assess its public impact.
Examine H.R.3261 through a progressive lens, focusing on fairness, access, economic inequality, and effects on vulnerable communities. Explain potential benefits, costs, and unintended consequences. Consider the strongest counterarguments and distinguish stated goals from demonstrated outcomes.
Examine H.R.3261 through a conservative lens, focusing on fiscal responsibility, institutional stability, federalism, and the scope of government. Explain potential benefits, costs, and unintended consequences. Consider the strongest counterarguments and any provisions that challenge this perspective.
Examine H.R.3261 through a civil-liberties and limited-government lens. Consider individual rights, privacy, voluntary choice, accountability, and government power. Explain tradeoffs, possible safeguards, and the strongest counterarguments without assuming the proposal is beneficial or harmful.