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

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

Sec. 5101. Pregnancy intention screening initiative demonstration program

Part P of title III of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 280g et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following:

Text this section adds to the law

399V–8. Pregnancy intention screening initiative demonstration program

(a) Program establishment. The Secretary, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, shall establish a demonstration program to facilitate the clinical adoption of pregnancy intention screening initiatives by health care and social services providers.

(b) Grants. The Secretary may carry out the demonstration program through awarding grants to eligible entities to implement pregnancy intention screening initiatives, collect data, and evaluate such initiatives.

(c) Eligible entities. To be eligible for a grant under this section, an entity shall—

(1) provide non-directive, comprehensive, medically accurate information; and

(2) be a community-based organization, voluntary health organization, public health department, community health center, or other interested public or private primary, behavioral, or other health care or social service provider or organization.

(d) Pregnancy intention screening initiative. For purposes of this section, the term pregnancy intention screening initiative means any initiative by an eligible entity to routinely screen people with respect to their pregnancy intentions and goals to either prevent unintended pregnancies or improve the likelihood of healthy pregnancies, in order to better provide health care that meets the contraceptive or pre-pregnancy needs and goals of such people.

(e) Evaluation

(1) In general. The Secretary, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, shall, by grant or contract, and after consultation as described in paragraph (2), conduct an evaluation of the demonstration program, with respect to pregnancy intention screening initiatives, conducted under this section. Such evaluation shall include:

(A) Assessment of the implementation of pregnancy intention screening protocols among a diverse group of patients and providers, including collecting data on the experiences and outcomes for diverse patient populations in a variety of clinical settings.

(B) Analysis of outcome measures that will facilitate effective and widespread adoption of such protocols by health care providers for inquiring about and responding to pregnancy goals of people with both contraceptive and pre-pregnancy care.

(C) Consideration of health inequities among the population served.

(D) Assessment of the equitable and voluntary application of such initiatives to minority and medically underserved communities.

(E) Assessment of the training, capacity, and ongoing technical assistance needed for providers to effectively implement such pregnancy intention screening protocols.

(F) Assessment of whether referral systems for selected protocols follow evidence-based standards that ensure access to comprehensive health services and appropriate follow-up care.

(G) Measuring through rigorous methods the effect of such initiatives on key health outcomes.

(2) Consultation with independent, expert advisory panel. In conducting the evaluation under paragraph (1), the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shall consult with physicians, physician assistants, advanced practice registered nurses, nurse midwives, and other health care providers who specialize in women’s health, and other experts in public health, clinical practice, program evaluation, and research.

(3) Report. Not later than one year after the last day of the demonstration program under this section, the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shall—

(A) submit to Congress a report on the results of the evaluation conducted under paragraph (1); and

(B) make the report publicly available.

(f) Funding

(1) Authorization of appropriations. To carry out this section, there is authorized to be appropriated $10,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2027 through 2031.

(2) Limitation. Not more than 20 percent of funds appropriated to carry out this section pursuant to paragraph (1) for a fiscal year may be used for purposes of the evaluation under subsection (e).

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