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

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

Sec. 7901C–3. Expanding the availability of medical nutrition therapy services under the Medicare program

(a) In general. Section 1861 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395x) is amended—

(1) in subsection (s)(2)(V), by striking in the case of and all that follows through organizations; and

(2) in subsection (vv)—

(A) in paragraph (1)—

(i) by striking disease management and inserting the prevention, management, or treatment of a disease or condition specified in paragraph (4); and

(ii) by striking by a physician and all that follows through the period at the end and inserting the following: “by a—

Text this section adds to the law

Such term shall not include any services furnished to an individual for the prevention, management, or treatment of a renal disease if such individual is receiving maintenance dialysis for which payment is made under section 1881.

(A) physician (as defined in subsection (r)(1));

(B) physician assistant;

(C) nurse practitioner;

(D) clinical nurse specialist (as defined in subsection (aa)(5)(B)); or

(E) in the case of such services furnished to manage such a disease or condition that is an eating disorder, a clinical psychologist (as defined by the Secretary).

; and

(B) by adding at the end the following new paragraph:

Text this section adds to the law

(4) For purposes of paragraph (1), the diseases and conditions specified in this paragraph are the following:

(A) Diabetes and prediabetes.

(B) A renal disease.

(C) Obesity (as defined for purposes of subsection (yy)(2)(C) or as otherwise defined by the Secretary).

(D) Hypertension.

(E) Dyslipidemia.

(F) Malnutrition.

(G) Eating disorders.

(H) Cancer.

(I) Gastrointestinal diseases, including celiac disease.

(J) HIV.

(K) AIDS.

(L) Cardiovascular disease.

(M) Any other disease or condition—

(i) specified by the Secretary relating to unintentional weight loss;

(ii) for which the Secretary determines the services described in paragraph (1) to be medically necessary and appropriate for the prevention, management, or treatment of such disease or condition, consistent with any applicable recommendations of the United States Preventive Services Task Force; or

(iii) for which the Secretary determines the services described in paragraph (1) are medically necessary, consistent with either protocols established by registered dietitians or nutrition professional organizations or with accepted clinical guidelines identified by the Secretary.

(b) Exclusion modification. Section 1862(a)(1) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395y(a)(1)), as amended by sections 7901C(b)(2) and 7901C–1(b)(4), is amended—

(1) in subparagraph (Q), by striking and at the end;

(2) in subparagraph (R), by striking the semicolon at the end and inserting , and; and

(3) by adding at the end the following new subparagraph:

Text this section adds to the law

(S) in the case of medical nutrition therapy services (as defined in section 1861(vv)), which are not furnished for the prevention, management, or treatment of a disease or condition specified in paragraph (4) of such section;

(c) Effective date. The amendments made by this section shall apply with respect to items and services furnished on or after January 1, 2027.

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