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

F Diabetes

Sec. 7501. Research, treatment, and education

Subpart 3 of part C of title IV of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 285c et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following:

Text this section adds to the law

434B. Diabetes in minority populations

(a) In general. The Director of NIH shall expand, intensify, and support ongoing research and other activities with respect to prediabetes and diabetes, particularly type 2, in minority populations.

(b) Research

(1) Description. Research under subsection (a) shall include investigation into—

(A) the causes of diabetes, including socioeconomic, geographic, clinical, environmental, genetic, and other factors that may contribute to increased rates of diabetes in minority populations; and

(B) the causes of increased incidence of diabetes complications in minority populations, and possible interventions to decrease such incidence.

(2) Inclusion of minority participants. In conducting and supporting research described in subsection (a), the Director of NIH shall seek to include minority participants as study subjects in clinical trials.

(c) Report; comprehensive plan

(1) In general. The Diabetes Mellitus Interagency Coordinating Committee shall—

(A) prepare and submit to Congress, not later than 6 months after the date of enactment of this section, a report on Federal research and public health activities with respect to prediabetes and diabetes in minority populations; and

(B) develop and submit to Congress, not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this section, an effective and comprehensive Federal plan (including all appropriate Federal health programs) to address prediabetes and diabetes in minority populations.

(2) Contents. The report under paragraph (1)(A) shall at minimum address each of the following:

(A) Research on diabetes and prediabetes in minority populations, including such research on—

(i) genetic, behavioral, socioeconomic, and environmental factors;

(ii) prevention of diabetes within these populations and which of the populations have individuals at increased risk of developing diabetes;

(iii) prevention of complications among individuals in these populations who have already developed diabetes; and

(iv) barriers to health care access and diabetes treatment within populations at increased risk of developing diabetes.

(B) Surveillance and data collection on diabetes and prediabetes in minority populations, including with respect to—

(i) efforts to better determine the prevalence of diabetes among Asian-American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander subgroups; and

(ii) efforts to coordinate data collection on the American Indian population.

(C) Community-based interventions to address diabetes and prediabetes targeting minority populations, including—

(i) the evidence base for such interventions;

(ii) the cultural appropriateness of such interventions; and

(iii) efforts to educate the public on the causes and consequences of diabetes.

(D) Education and training programs for health professionals (including community health workers) on the prevention and management of diabetes and its related complications that is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration, including such programs supported by—

(i) the National Health Service Corps; or

(ii) the community health centers program under section 330.

(d) Education. The Director of NIH shall—

(1) through the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities and the National Diabetes Education Program—

(A) make grants to programs funded under section 464z–4 for the purpose of establishing a medical education program for health care professionals to be more involved in weight counseling, obesity research, nutrition, and shared decision making; and

(B) provide for the participation of minority health professionals in diabetes-focused research programs; and

(2) make grants to programs that establish a professional pipeline that will increase the participation of minority individuals in diabetes-focused health fields by expanding Minority Access to Research Careers program internships and mentoring opportunities for the purposes of recruitment.

(e) Definitions. For purposes of this section:

(1) Diabetes mellitus interagency coordinating committee. The Diabetes Mellitus Interagency Coordinating Committee means the Diabetes Mellitus Interagency Coordinating Committee established under section 429.

(2) Minority population. The term minority population means a racial and ethnic minority group, as defined in section 1707.

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