Committee holds bill to require one free medical-record copy for Social Security disability claims

The House Health and Welfare Committee on Thursday held Senate Bill 1087 after two tied roll-call votes, leaving the measure in committee.

The bill, sponsored in the House by Representative Josh Wheeler (R-35) and carried in the Senate by Senator Doug Ricks (R-34), would require health-care providers to furnish one free copy of a patient's medical records — physical or mental — when the records are needed to support a documented claim or appeal under the Social Security Act. The measure includes a carve-out for independently owned providers with fewer than 50 employees and requires providers to fulfill requests within 30 days and prioritize electronic delivery where possible.

“The bill … will ensure that Idaho patients have timely and cost free access to critical medical records while pursuing their Social Security benefits,” Representative Josh Wheeler said in his presentation to the committee.

Sponsor Senator Doug Ricks described the problem as arising in part from large out‑of‑state companies that contract with hospitals to aggregate records and charge…