AHCA/NCAL is continuing advocacy efforts to request the repeal of the Section 510 ban on spending any federal dollars to adopt a national unique patient health identifier standard within the federal budget. Recent efforts include letters to Congressional
House and
Senate appropriations leadership as part of a coalition of 156 organizations.
In the letters, the coalition notes that “…for more than 25 years, innovation and industry progress has been stifled due to a narrow interpretation of this language, included in Labor-HHS bills since FY99. Without the ability of clinicians to correctly connect a patient with their medical record, lives have been lost, and medical errors have needlessly occurred. These are situations that could have been avoided had patients been able to be accurately identified and matched with their records.”
Furthermore, the letter states, “For four fiscal years (FY20-23), the US House of Representatives removed the ban from the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies appropriations bill in a bipartisan manner. We urge the Committee to continue the bipartisan support for repeal in Congress and ensure that Section 510, the funding ban on a national unique health identifier, is NOT included in the FY26 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations bill.”
AHCA/NCAL will continue to monitor and advocate for this policy change as the appropriations process advances.