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

N Health Equity and Rare Disease Act

Sec. 7901D–4. Physician training programs with respect to rare diseases

Subpart II of part C of title VII of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 293m et seq.), as amended by section 3016, is further amended by adding at the end the following:

Text this section adds to the law

749D. Physician training programs with respect to rare diseases

(a) In general. The Secretary shall establish a program to award grants to accredited schools of allopathic medicine, osteopathic medicine, and nursing, and other health professional training programs for the training of health care professionals—

(1) to improve the provision of care to individuals who have rare diseases or conditions (as defined in section 526 of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act);

(2) to improve the provision of care to such individuals via telehealth; and

(3) to conduct research relevant to rare diseases and conditions.

(b) Eligibility. To be eligible for a grant under subsection (a), an entity described in such subsection shall submit to the Secretary an application at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the Secretary may require.

(c) Reporting requirements

(1) Periodic reports. Each entity awarded a grant under this section shall periodically submit to the Secretary a report on the status of activities conducted using the grant, including a description of the impact of such training on patient outcomes, as applicable.

(2) Report to Congress. Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment of this section, the Secretary shall submit a report to Congress on the activities conducted using grants under subsection (a) and any best practices identified and disseminated under subsection (d).

(d) Best practices. The Secretary may identify and disseminate best practices for the training described in subsection (a).

749E. Health professionals education on rare diseases and conditions in minority populations

(a) In general. The Secretary may award grants, cooperative agreements, and contracts to accredited schools of medicine and nursing, and other health professional training programs, for the development and implementation of programs to provide education and training to health care professionals on the causes and effects of rare diseases and conditions in minority populations.

(b) Definitions. In this section:

(1) The term minority has the meaning given such term in section 464z–3.

(2) The term rare disease or condition has the meaning given such term in section 526 of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.

749F. Mentoring program for health care professionals seeking to work in rare diseases and conditions. The Secretary, acting through the Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration, may award grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements to public and nonprofit private entities (including Tribal entities) for the establishment of a mentoring program for health care professionals seeking to treat patients with rare diseases and conditions.

749G. Scholarship and loan repayment program for physicians and genetic counselors serving populations with rare diseases and conditions

(a) Loan repayment program

(1) In general. The Secretary shall establish a program of entering into contracts with eligible individuals under which the individuals agree to serve as health care professionals serving populations with rare diseases or conditions in consideration of the Federal Government agreeing to pay, for each year of such service, up to $50,000 (plus an amount determined by the Secretary on an annual basis to reflect inflation) of the principal and interest of the educational loans of such individuals.

(2) Determination of amount. In making a determination of the amount to pay for a year of such service by an individual, the Secretary shall consider the extent to which each such determination—

(A) affects the ability of the Secretary to maximize the number of contracts that can be provided under the program from the amounts appropriated for such contracts;

(B) provides an incentive to serve as health care professionals serving populations with rare diseases or conditions; and

(C) provides an incentive with respect to the health professional involved to remain serving populations with rare diseases or conditions, including after the completion of the period of obligated service under the program.

(3) Eligible individuals. In this subsection, the term eligible individual means an individual who is enrolled or accepted for enrollment as a full-time or part-time student in a school of medicine.

(4) Applicability of certain provisions. With respect to the National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program established in subpart III of part D of title III of this Act, the provisions of such subpart shall, except as inconsistent with paragraph (1), apply to the program established in this section in the same manner and to the same extent as such provisions apply to the National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program.

(b) Scholarship program

(1) In general. The Secretary shall carry out a program of entering into contracts with eligible individuals under which each such individual agrees to serve, for a period of not less than 5 years, as a health care professional primarily serving populations with rare diseases or conditions, in consideration of the Federal Government agreeing to provide to the individual a scholarship for attendance at a school of medicine.

(2) Eligible individuals. In this subsection, the term eligible individual means an individual who is enrolled or accepted for enrollment as a full-time or part-time student in a school of medicine.

(3) Applicability of certain provisions. The provisions of subpart III of part D of title III shall, except as inconsistent with this section, apply to the program established in paragraph (1) in the same manner and to the same extent as such provisions apply to the National Health Service Corps Scholarship Program established in such subpart.

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