Outpatient Surgery Access Act of 2026

HR8091, the Outpatient Surgery Access Act of 2026, was introduced in the House of Representatives on March 25, 2026, by Rep. Van Duyne (R-TX-24) and cosponsored by Mr. Larson of Connecticut. The bill has been referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce and the Committee on Ways and Means. This referral indicates the bill is in an early stage of the legislative process, requiring committee consideration before further action. The bill proposes to amend Title XVIII of the Social Security Act to modify how Medicare pays ambulatory surgical centers. Specifically, Section 2 mandates that for 2027 and subsequent years, the annual update for ASC services will be equal to the Outpatient Department (OPD) fee schedule increase factor. Section 3 prohibits the Secretary from applying ASC-specific budget neutrality adjustments for 2027 and subsequent years and requires combining volume for budget neutrality calculations to include expenditures under the revised ASC payment system. The bill does not specify a direct funding amount; instead, it modifies the payment methodology for existing Medicare expenditures, potentially shifting revenue within the healthcare sector without increasing overall Medicare spending. The changes would primarily affect the revenue streams of healthcare providers operating ambulatory surgical centers. Structural beneficiaries of this bill, if enacted, would be companies that own or operate ambulatory surgical centers, as the changes aim to align their payment updates more favorably with outpatient departments and remove specific budget neutrality adjustments. However, no specific publicly traded companies are mentioned in the bill text, and without further data, identifying specific tickers is not possible. The bill's status as 'Referred to committee' means it has a significant legislative path ahead, including potential committee hearings, markups, and votes in both the House and Senate, followed by presidential assent. There is no indication of accelerated momentum beyond its initial introduction and referral.