H.R. 9877

Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026

Sponsor: Raul Ruiz

26 cosponsors
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I Data collection and reporting

II Culturally and linguistically appropriate health and health care

III Health workforce diversity

A Diversifying the health care workplace

B Substance Use Disorder Treatment and Behavioral and Mental Health Workforce

C ACCESS in Mental Health Act

D Developing the Community Health Workforce Act

IV Improving Health Care Access and Quality

A Reducing Barriers to Accessing Care

B Improvement of Coverage

C Expansion of Access

1 General Provisions

2 Rural

3 Indian Communities

4 Providers

5 Dental

D Advancing Health Equity Through Payment and Delivery Reform

Sec. 4301. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services reporting and value-based programs

(a) Advancing Health Equity in Reporting and Value-Based Payment Programs

(1) In general. The Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (in this section referred to as the Administrator) shall require that a clinician or other professional participating in any pay-for-reporting or value-based payment program stratify clinical quality measures by disparity variables, including race, ethnicity, sex, primary language, disability status, sexual orientation, gender identity, and socioeconomic status.

(2) Use of existing demographic data collection fields. A clinician or other professional described in paragraph (1) may use existing demographic data collection fields in certified EHR technology (as defined in section 1848(o)(4) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395w–4(o)(4))) to carry out such data stratification under such paragraph. Such stratified data will assist clinicians and other professionals in the identification of disparities obscured in aggregated data and assist with the provision of interventions that target reducing those disparities.

(3) Clinician. In assessing performance in any value-based payment program, the Administrator shall incorporate a clinician or other professional’s performance in reducing disparities across race, ethnicity, sex, primary language, disability status, sexual orientation, gender identity, and socioeconomic status. Linking performance payments to the reduction of health care disparities across such variables will assist in holding clinicians and other professionals accountable for providing quality care that can lead to decreased health inequities.

(4) Requirement of adoption of cert. All entities, clinicians, or other professionals participating in the Quality Payment Program of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services shall be required to adopt certified EHR technology (as so defined) as a condition of participating in such program.

(b) Quality improvement activities. The Administrator, upon yearly review of the Quality Payment Program, shall add quality improvement activities that implement the Culturally and Linguistically Accessible Standards (CLAS) as Improvement Activities under the Quality Payment Program.

E Health Empowerment Zones

F Equitable Health Care for All

G Investing in Equity

H Miscellaneous

I Territories Health Equity

1 Medicare

A Part A

B Part B

C Medicare Advantage (Part C)

D Part D

2 Miscellaneous

V Improving health outcomes for women, gender-diverse people, children, and families

A Underserved communities

B Pregnancy screening

C Pregnancy-Related care

D Federal agency coordination on maternal health

E Reproductive and Sexual Health

F Children’s Health

G Elder Care

H Miscellaneous provisions

VI Mental health and substance use disorders

A Access to care and funding streams

B Interprofessional care

C Workforce development

D Children’s mental health

E Community-Based care

F Reports

G Miscellaneous provisions

VII Addressing high-impact minority diseases

A Cancer

B Viral hepatitis and liver cancer control and prevention

C Acquired bone marrow failure diseases

D Cardiovascular disease, chronic disease, obesity, and other disease issues

E HIV/AIDS

F Diabetes

G Lung disease

H Tuberculosis

I Osteoarthritis and Musculoskeletal Diseases

J Sleep and circadian rhythm disorders

K Kidney disease research, surveillance, prevention, and treatment

L Diversity in clinical trials

M Additional provisions addressing high-impact minority diseases

N Health Equity and Rare Disease Act

O Asunción Valdivia Heat Illness, Injury, and Fatality Prevention

P New Era of Preventing End-Stage Kidney Disease

VIII Health Information Technology

A Reducing Health Disparities Through Health IT

B Modifications To Achieve Parity in Existing Programs

C Additional Research and Studies

D Closing Gaps in Funding To Adopt Certified EHRs

E Expanding Access to Telehealth Services

IX Accountability and Evaluation

X Addressing Social Determinants and Improving Environmental Justice

A In General

B Gun Violence

C Nutrition for women, children, families

1 Senior hunger prevention

2 Closing the meal gap

D Universal school meals

1 School breakfast program

2 School lunch program

3 Elementary and secondary education data

4 Amendments to other programs and laws

XI Protections to combat regulatory harm to health equity