Ensuring Access to General Surgery Act of 2026

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office] [H.R. 7198 Introduced in House (IH)] <DOC> 119th CONGRESS 2d Session H. R. 7198 To amend the Public Health Service Act with respect to the designation of general surgery shortage areas, and for other purposes. _______________________________________________________________________ IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES January 22, 2026 Mr. Bera (for himself, Mr. Bacon, Mr. Peters, and Mr. Joyce of Pennsylvania) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce _______________________________________________________________________ A BILL To amend the Public Health Service Act with respect to the designation of general surgery shortage areas, and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. This Act may be cited as the ``Ensuring Access to General Surgery Act of 2026''. SEC. 2. FINDINGS. Congress finds the following: (1) According to the Bureau of Health Workforce, the United States faces a shortage of physicians. (2) A 2016 study entitled ``Supply and Demand of General Surgeons: Projections From 2014-2030'', prepared by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill for the American College of Surgeons, found that the supply of general surgeons will grow slightly by 2030 but will not keep up with overall growth in the United States population or demand for surgical services. (3) A 2021 report released by the Association of American Medical Colleges projects shortages in all surgical specialties of between 15,800 and 30,200 surgeons by 2034. (4) A 2020 report prepared by the Health Resources and Services Administration for the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate found a maldistribution of general surgeons nationwide, with rural areas having only 69 percent of the general surgeons needed to meet demand for care. (5) In order to accurately