On December 17, 2025, Becker’s Hospital Review reported that lawmakers in 47 states introduced 250+ bills regulating AI in healthcare during 2025, with 33 bills signed into law across 21 states, citing a Dec. 16, 2025 analysis from Manatt Health. The article frames this as a rapid shift from “watching” healthcare AI to actively regulating it, with states increasingly favoring use-specific requirements centered on patient safety, transparency, and ethical oversight.
As Becker’s notes, state activity accelerated after a proposed 10-year moratorium on AI regulation was removed from H.R. 1. In the absence of federal AI statutes, the piece also points to a competing federal signal: President Donald Trump signed a Dec. 11, 2025 executive order directing federal agencies to challenge state AI laws considered overly burdensome and to work toward a “minimally restrictive” national standard—setting up a 2026 landscape where state oversight is expanding even as federal policy debates intensify.
Becker’s highlights that mental health applications drew significant attention: seven states enacted laws targeting AI-enabled chatbots, including California’s SB 243, which requires clear disclosure that users are interacting with AI and adds stricter protections for minors. The article also underscores guardrails emerging inside clinical care—such as Illinois’ HB 1806 limiting AI from making therapeutic decisions or interacting with patients without licensed oversight, and notice/consent requirements in Illinois and Texas when AI is used in care. Becker’s concludes that broader, sweeping AI frameworks lost momentum in favor of narrower rules and “sandbox” programs—and that states are expected to remain the primary regulators of healthcare AI in 2026.
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