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

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

Sec. 10009. Andrew Kearse Accountability for Denial of Medical Care

(a) In general. Chapter 13 of title 18, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following:

Text this section adds to the law

251. Medical attention for individuals in Federal custody displaying medical distress

(a) Definitions. In this section—

(1) the term appropriate Inspector General, with respect to a covered official, means—

(A) the Inspector General of the Federal agency that employs the covered official; or

(B) in the case of a covered official employed by a Federal agency that does not have an Inspector General, the Inspector General of the Department of Justice;

(2) the term covered official means—

(A) a Federal law enforcement officer (as defined in section 115);

(B) an officer or employee of the Bureau of Prisons; or

(C) an officer or employee of the United States Marshals Service; and

(3) the term medical distress includes breathing difficulties.

(b) Requirement

(1) Offense. It shall be unlawful for a covered official to negligently fail to obtain or provide immediate medical attention to an individual in Federal custody who displays medical distress in the presence of the covered official if the individual suffers unnecessary pain, injury, or death as a result of that failure.

(2) Penalty. A covered official who violates paragraph (1) shall be fined under this title, imprisoned for not more than 1 year, or both.

(3) State civil enforcement. Whenever an attorney general of a State has reasonable cause to believe that a resident of the State has been aggrieved by a violation of paragraph (1) by a covered official, the attorney general, or another official, agency, or entity designated by the State, may bring a civil action in any appropriate district court of the United States to obtain appropriate equitable and declaratory relief.

(c) Inspector General investigation

(1) In general. The appropriate Inspector General shall investigate any instance in which—

(A) a covered official fails to obtain or provide immediate medical attention to an individual in Federal custody who displays medical distress in the presence of the covered official; and

(B) the individual suffers unnecessary pain, injury, or death as a result of the failure to obtain or provide immediate medical attention.

(2) Referral for prosecution. If an appropriate Inspector General, in conducting an investigation under paragraph (1), concludes that the covered official acted negligently in failing to obtain or provide immediate medical attention to the individual in Federal custody, the appropriate Inspector General shall refer the case to the Attorney General for prosecution under this section.

(3) Confidential complaint process. The Inspector General of a Federal agency that employs covered officials shall establish a process under which an individual may confidentially submit a complaint to the Inspector General regarding an incident described in paragraph (1) involving a covered official employed by the Federal agency (or, in the case of the Inspector General of the Department of Justice, involving a covered official employed by a Federal agency that does not have an Inspector General).

(d) Training. The head of an agency that employs covered officials shall provide training to each such covered official on obtaining or providing medical assistance to individuals in medical distress.

(b) Technical and conforming amendment. The table of sections for chapter 13 of title 18, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following:

Text this section adds to the law

251. Medical attention for individuals in Federal custody displaying medical distress.

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