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

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

E HIV/AIDS

Sec. 7409. HIV/AIDS provider loan repayment program

(a) In general. The Secretary may enter into an agreement with any physician, nurse practitioner, or physician assistant under which—

(1) the physician, nurse practitioner, or physician assistant agrees to serve as a medical provider for a period of not less than 2 years—

(A) at a Ryan White-funded or title X-funded facility with a critical shortage of doctors (as determined by the Secretary); or

(B) in an area with a high incidence of HIV/AIDS; and

(2) the Secretary agrees to make payments in accordance with subsection (b) on the professional education loans of the physician, nurse practitioner, or physician assistant.

(b) Manner of payments. The payments described in subsection (a) shall be made by the Secretary as follows:

(1) Upon completion by the physician, nurse practitioner, or physician assistant for whom the payments are to be made of the first year of the service specified in the agreement entered into with the Secretary under subsection (a), the Secretary shall pay 30 percent of the principal of and the interest on the individual’s professional education loans.

(2) Upon completion by the physician, nurse practitioner, or physician assistant of the second year of such service, the Secretary shall pay another 30 percent of the principal of and the interest on such loans.

(3) Upon completion by that individual of a third year of such service, the Secretary shall pay another 25 percent of the principal of and the interest on such loans.

(c) Applicability of certain provisions. Subpart III of part D of title III of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 254l et seq.) shall, except as inconsistent with this section, apply to the program carried out under this section in the same manner and to the same extent as such provisions apply to the National Health Service Corps loan repayment program.

(d) Reports. Not later than 18 months after the date of the enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter, the Secretary shall prepare and submit to Congress a report describing the program carried out under this section, including statements regarding the following:

(1) The number of physicians, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants enrolled in the program.

(2) The number and amount of loan repayments provided through the program.

(3) The placement location of loan repayment recipients at facilities described in subsection (a)(1).

(4) The default rate on such loans and actions required.

(5) The amount of outstanding default funds with respect to such loans.

(6) To the extent that it can be determined, the reason for the default on such a loan.

(7) The demographics of individuals participating in the program.

(8) An evaluation of the overall costs and benefits of the program.

(e) Definitions. In this section:

(1) HIV/AIDS. The term HIV/AIDS means human immunodeficiency virus and acquired immune deficiency syndrome.

(2) Nurse practitioner. The term nurse practitioner means a registered nurse who has completed an accredited graduate degree program in advanced nurse practice and has successfully passed a national certification exam.

(3) Physician. The term physician means a graduate of a school of medicine who has completed postgraduate training in general or pediatric medicine.

(4) Physician assistant. The term physician assistant means a medical provider who completed an accredited physician assistant training program and successfully passed the Physician Assistant National Certifying Examination.

(5) Professional education loan. The term professional education loan—

(A) means a loan that is incurred for the cost of attendance (including tuition, other reasonable educational expenses, and reasonable living costs) at a school of medicine, school of nursing, or physician assistant training program; and

(B) includes only the portion of the loan that is outstanding on the date the physician, nurse practitioner, or physician assistant involved begins the service specified in the agreement under subsection (a).

(6) Ryan white-funded. The term Ryan White-funded means, with respect to a facility, receiving funds under title XXVI of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 300ff–11 et seq.).

(7) Secretary. The term Secretary means the Secretary of Health and Human Services.

(8) School of medicine. The term school of medicine has the meaning given to that term in section 799B of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 295p).

(9) Title x-funded. The term title X-funded means, with respect to a facility, receiving funds under title X of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 300 et seq.).

(f) Authorization of appropriations. To carry out this section, there are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be necessary for fiscal years 2027 through 2030.

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