Committee advances bill to require one free copy of medical records for Social Security disability applicants

Sen. Doug Ricks (R‑District 34) told the Senate Health and Welfare Committee that Senate Bill 10‑87 would require health care providers to furnish one copy of a patient’s medical records at no charge when the copy is needed to support a documented Social Security Disability claim.

“This bill … deals strictly with medical records and getting a copy of those strictly for social security disability purposes,” Sen. Ricks said, describing the measure as a narrowed version of legislation he had sponsored earlier.

Why it matters: witnesses said hospital systems frequently contract with third‑party vendors to assemble records and those vendors sometimes charge requesters per page. Sen. Ricks and supporters said those per‑page fees can reach $1.24 per page and a single record can run hundreds of pages,…