Skip to content

Where are you from?

Choose your province and we will tell you how the deputies and senators you elected vote, one by one.

 

We remember it in this browser. If you create an account, we keep it there.
Sign in

Type a law, a topic, a person or a province.

What it is

Stricter rules for advertising health services

Admitted step 2 of 7 · Unfinished

It is a members’ bill. Introduced by parliamentary groups, the Senate, regional governments or citizens. It was introduced on 28 February 2019. Introduced by: Grupo Parlamentario Popular en el Congreso.

Official title: Private member's bill on the advertising of health services and activities.

Follow this law

Source: Congreso de los Diputados, file 122/000333· updated 11 Nov

Automatic summary, not yet reviewed

  1. The bill would regulate health advertising, defined as any commercial communication that directly or indirectly promotes contracting health services or activities. It distinguishes between advertising aimed at the public and advertising aimed at health professionals.
  2. Health advertising would have to be science based, objective, prudent and truthful. Only authorized health centers and facilities could advertise to the public, and only for the services covered by their operating authorization.
  3. Ads could not promise guaranteed results, target children, use recovery testimonials, offer discounts or gifts to encourage contracting, or compare with or disparage other providers. Health professionals would also be barred from endorsing commercial advertising aimed at the public using their name or profession.
  4. Advertising aimed at the public would require prior administrative authorization, which the health authority would have to decide within two months and which would be valid for up to five years. Advertising aimed at health professionals would only need to be reported before it starts.
  5. The bill creates a cessation system: anyone harmed by unlawful advertising could ask for it to stop and, if it does not, go to court to have the conduct banned and its repetition prohibited.
  6. Health authorities would inspect and monitor compliance, and violations would be sanctioned under state or regional rules. Breaching the rules and prohibitions on advertising aimed at the public would be considered a serious offense.

Who it affects

  • Health centers, services and facilities: They would be the only ones allowed to advertise to the public, with prior authorization and within the scope of their operating authorization.
  • Health professionals: They could not endorse commercial advertising aimed at the public or directly advertise services that only other professionals can order.
  • Drug and medical device companies: They would be banned from health advertising aimed at the public.
  • Consumers and patients: They would receive more truthful advertising and could demand that unlawful advertising stop.
  • Advertising agencies and media: They could request advertising authorization on behalf of interested parties and could only accept ads that comply with the law.

Words worth knowing

Acción de cesación (cessation action)
A court request to make someone stop an unlawful act, here unlawful advertising, and to prevent it from happening again.
Autorización administrativa previa (prior administrative authorization)
A permit that must be requested and obtained from the health authority before the advertising can be published.
Prestación sanitaria (health service)
Health-related services that are not themselves a health activity, provided by qualified people or companies.
Actividad sanitaria (health activity)
Work involving promotion, prevention, diagnosis, treatment or rehabilitation to improve people's health.
Proposición de ley (bill)
A text in the form of a law introduced by a parliamentary group that still must be debated and passed; it is not in force.

It summarizes the text as it was introduced. It is written by artificial intelligence and may contain mistakes: the official text is what counts. Read the official text · How we make summaries

Where it stands

How far did it get?

It took 2 of 7 steps. It reached Admitted, and today it is unfinished.

  1. Introduced28 February 2019Someone registers the text in the Congreso.
  2. Admitted4 March 2019The Bureau of the Congreso accepts it and, for a members’ bill, the plenary decides whether to consider it.
  3. Amendmentsnot reachedGroups propose changes.
  4. Committeenot reachedA committee goes through the text in detail.
  5. Plenarynot reachedAll 350 deputies vote.
  6. Senatenot reachedThe Senate can pass it, amend it or veto it.
  7. BOEnot reachedIt is published in the Official State Gazette (BOE) and comes into force.
See the 4 official steps on a timeline
Feb 201911. 28 February 2019: Presentación22. 4 March 2019: Boletín Oficial de las Cortes Generales Publicación desde 04/03/2019 hasta 05/03/201933. 4 March 2019: Calificación44. 5 March 2019: Concluido - (Caducado) desde 05/03/2019 hasta 27/03/2019

Was there a plenary vote?

We have no plenary vote linked to this law in the Congreso’s data.

What happens next

What happens now?

The legislature ended before it finished. To go on, someone would have to introduce it again in the new Cortes.

It was presented again:

Sources

Where does all this come from?

  • The data comes from the open files of the Congreso, the Senate and the BOE, unaltered.
  • Each deputy’s province is the one of their seat on the day of the vote.
  • We only say “passed” or “rejected” when the majority needed is certain; otherwise we say which side had more votes.

Read the full method · Report an error