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

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

Sec. 7201. Acquired bone marrow failure diseases

(a) National acquired bone marrow failure disease registry. Title III of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 241 et seq.) is amended by inserting after section 317W, as added by section 1009, the following:

Text this section adds to the law

317X. National Acquired Bone Marrow Failure Disease Registry

(a) Establishment of registry

(1) In general. Not later than 6 months after the date of the enactment of this section, the Secretary, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, shall—

(A) develop a system to collect data on acquired bone marrow failure diseases; and

(B) establish and maintain a national and publicly available registry, to be known as the National Acquired Bone Marrow Failure Disease Registry, in accordance with paragraph (3).

(2) Recommendations of advisory committee. In carrying out this subsection, the Secretary shall take into consideration the recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Acquired Bone Marrow Failure Diseases established under subsection (b).

(3) Purposes of registry. The National Acquired Bone Marrow Failure Disease Registry shall—

(A) identify the incidence and prevalence of acquired bone marrow failure diseases in the United States;

(B) be used to collect and store data on acquired bone marrow failure diseases, including data concerning—

(i) the age, race or ethnicity, general geographic location, sex, and family history of individuals who are diagnosed with acquired bone marrow failure diseases, and any other characteristics of such individuals determined appropriate by the Secretary;

(ii) the genetic and environmental factors that may be associated with developing acquired bone marrow failure diseases;

(iii) treatment approaches for dealing with acquired bone marrow failure diseases;

(iv) outcomes for individuals treated for acquired bone marrow failure diseases, including outcomes for recipients of stem cell therapeutic products as contained in the database established pursuant to section 379A; and

(v) any other factors pertaining to acquired bone marrow failure diseases determined appropriate by the Secretary; and

(C) be made available—

(i) to the general public; and

(ii) to researchers to facilitate further research into the causes of, and treatments for, acquired bone marrow failure diseases in accordance with standard practices of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

(b) Advisory committee

(1) Establishment. Not later than 6 months after the date of the enactment of this section, the Secretary, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, shall establish an advisory committee, to be known as the Advisory Committee on Acquired Bone Marrow Failure Diseases.

(2) Members. The members of the Advisory Committee on Acquired Bone Marrow Failure Diseases shall be appointed by the Secretary, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and shall include at least one representative from each of the following:

(A) A national patient advocacy organization with experience advocating on behalf of patients suffering from acquired bone marrow failure diseases.

(B) The National Institutes of Health, including at least one representative from each of—

(i) the National Cancer Institute;

(ii) the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute; and

(iii) the Office of Rare Diseases.

(C) The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

(D) Clinicians with experience in—

(i) diagnosing or treating acquired bone marrow failure diseases; or

(ii) medical data registries.

(E) Epidemiologists who have experience with data registries.

(F) Publicly or privately funded researchers who have experience researching acquired bone marrow failure diseases.

(G) The entity operating the C.W. Bill Young Cell Transplantation Program established pursuant to section 379 and the entity operating the C.W. Bill Young Cell Transplantation Program Outcomes Database.

(3) Responsibilities. The Advisory Committee on Acquired Bone Marrow Failure Diseases shall provide recommendations to the Secretary on the establishment and maintenance of the National Acquired Bone Marrow Failure Disease Registry, including recommendations on the collection, maintenance, and dissemination of data.

(4) Public availability. The Secretary shall make the recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Acquired Bone Marrow Failure Disease publicly available.

(c) Grants. The Secretary, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, may award grants to, and enter into contracts and cooperative agreements with, public or private nonprofit entities for the management of, as well as the collection, analysis, and reporting of data to be included in, the National Acquired Bone Marrow Failure Disease Registry.

(d) Definition. In this section, the term acquired bone marrow failure disease means—

(1) myelodysplastic syndromes;

(2) aplastic anemia;

(3) paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria;

(4) pure red cell aplasia;

(5) acute myeloid leukemia that has progressed from myelodysplastic syndromes; or

(6) large granular lymphocytic leukemia.

(e) Authorization of appropriations. There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section $3,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2027 through 2031.

(b) Pilot studies through the agency for toxic substances and disease registry

(1) Pilot studies. The Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Director of the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, shall conduct pilot studies to determine which environmental factors, including exposure to toxins, may cause acquired bone marrow failure diseases.

(2) Collaboration with the radiation injury treatment network. In carrying out the directives of this section, the Secretary of Health and Human Services may collaborate with the Radiation Injury Treatment Network of the C.W. Bill Young Cell Transplantation Program established pursuant to section 379 of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 274k) to—

(A) augment data for the pilot studies authorized by this section;

(B) access technical assistance that may be provided by the Radiation Injury Treatment Network; or

(C) perform joint research projects.

(3) Authorization of appropriations. There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this subsection $1,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2027 through 2031.

(c) Minority-Focused programs on acquired bone marrow failure diseases. Title XVII of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 300u et seq.) is amended by inserting after section 1707A the following:

Text this section adds to the law

1707B. Minority-focused programs on acquired bone marrow failure disease

(a) Information and referral services

(1) In general. Not later than 6 months after the date of the enactment of this section, the Secretary, acting through the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Minority Health, shall establish and coordinate outreach and informational programs targeted to minority populations affected by acquired bone marrow failure diseases.

(2) Program requirements. Minority-focused outreach and informational programs authorized by this section at the National Minority Health Resource Center supported under section 1707(b)(8) (including by means of the Center’s website, through appropriate locations such as the Center’s knowledge center, and through appropriate programs such as the Center’s resource persons network) and through minority health consultants located at each Department of Health and Human Services regional office—

(A) shall make information about treatment options and clinical trials for acquired bone marrow failure diseases publicly available; and

(B) shall provide referral services for treatment options and clinical trials.

(b) Hispanic and asian-American and pacific islander outreach

(1) In general. The Secretary, acting through the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Minority Health, shall undertake a coordinated outreach effort to connect Hispanic, Asian-American, and Pacific Islander communities with comprehensive services focused on treatment of, and information about, acquired bone marrow failure diseases.

(2) Collaboration. In carrying out this subsection, the Secretary may collaborate with public health agencies, nonprofit organizations, community groups, and online entities to disseminate information about treatment options and clinical trials for acquired bone marrow failure diseases.

(c) Grants and cooperative agreements

(1) In general. Not later than 6 months after the date of the enactment of this section, the Secretary, acting through the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Minority Health, shall award grants to, or enter into cooperative agreements with, entities to perform research on acquired bone marrow failure diseases.

(2) Requirement. Grants and cooperative agreements authorized by this subsection shall be awarded or entered into on a competitive, peer-reviewed basis.

(3) Scope of research. Research funded under this subsection shall examine factors affecting the incidence of acquired bone marrow failure diseases in minority populations.

(d) Definition. In this section, the term acquired bone marrow failure disease has the meaning given to such term in section 317X(d).

(e) Authorization of appropriations. There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section $2,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2027 through 2031.

(d) Diagnosis and quality of care for acquired bone marrow failure diseases

(1) Grants. The Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Director of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, shall award grants to entities to improve diagnostic practices and quality of care with respect to patients with acquired bone marrow failure diseases.

(2) Authorization of appropriations. There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this subsection $2,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2027 through 2031.

(e) Definition. In this section, the term acquired bone marrow failure disease has the meaning given such term in section 317X(d) of the Public Health Service Act, as added by subsection (a).

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