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

B Gun Violence

C Nutrition for women, children, families

1 Senior hunger prevention

Sec. 10204. Enrollment and outreach pilot program for older adults, kinship families, and adults with disabilities

The Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2011 et seq.) (as amended by section 10203(c)) is amended by adding at the end the following:

Text this section adds to the law

33. Enrollment and outreach pilot program for older adults, kinship families, and adults with disabilities

(a) Definitions. In this section:

(1) Disability. The term disability has the meaning given the term in section 3 of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12102).

(2) Eligible entity. The term eligible entity means—

(A) a State or local government agency;

(B) an Indian tribe or Tribal organization;

(C) a nonprofit organization, including a public or nonprofit provider of services;

(D) a community-based organization; and

(E) an educational provider.

(3) Kinship family. The term kinship family means a family in which a child resides with, and is being raised by, a grandparent, another extended family member, or an adult with whom the child has a close family-like relationship, such as a godparent or a close family friend.

(4) Older adult. The term older adult has the meaning given the term older individual in section 102 of the Older Americans Act of 1965 (42 U.S.C. 3002).

(5) Pilot program. The term pilot program means the Enrollment and Outreach Pilot Program for Older Adults, Kinship Families, and Adults with Disabilities established under subsection (b).

(b) Establishment. Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this section, the Secretary shall establish a pilot program, to be known as the Enrollment and Outreach Pilot Program for Older Adults, Kinship Families, and Adults with Disabilities, under which the Secretary shall award grants to eligible entities—

(1) to raise awareness among older adults, kinship families, and adults with disabilities of the availability, eligibility requirements, application procedures, and benefits of the supplemental nutrition assistance program; and

(2) to support older adults, kinship families, and adults with disabilities in enrolling in the supplemental nutrition assistance program.

(c) Priority. In awarding grants under the pilot program, the Secretary shall give priority to—

(1) eligible entities that—

(A) provide services to older adults or adults with disabilities;

(B) provide services to kinship families, including kinship navigator programs;

(C) have experience implementing programs that receive funding under the Older Americans Act of 1965 (42 U.S.C. 3001 et seq.);

(D) have experience implementing programs administered by the Food and Nutrition Service; or

(E) receive, plan to receive, or demonstrate an ability to partner with a program that receives, funding under—

(i) the Older Americans Act of 1965 (42 U.S.C. 3001 et seq.);

(ii) the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12101 et seq.); or

(iii) 1 or more nutrition programs administered by the Secretary; and

(2) projects that will—

(A) serve communities with—

(i) high rates of food insecurity or malnutrition; or

(ii) low food access;

(B) serve rural communities, indigenous communities, or communities of color;

(C) serve members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer community;

(D) serve adults with limited English proficiency;

(E) serve veterans;

(F) serve residents in federally subsidized housing, including federally subsidized housing units for older adults and adults with disabilities;

(G) serve residents living in housing serving kinship families; and

(H) incorporate nutrition education activities that promote healthy eating and active lifestyles.

(d) Eligible activities. An eligible entity receiving a grant under the pilot program shall use the grant to carry out 1 or more of the following activities:

(1) Application assistance, including—

(A) eligibility prescreening;

(B) assistance in completing an application for the supplemental nutrition assistance program;

(C) assistance in obtaining application verification documents;

(D) medical expense deduction counseling; and

(E) translation of materials and bilingual accommodation.

(2) Tailored dissemination of information relating to the supplemental nutrition assistance program, including through—

(A) community-based outreach workshops and events;

(B) a toll-free hotline to provide information relating to Federal, State, and local food resources;

(C) informational websites and other social media sites; and

(D) printed or digital informational content.

(3) Transportation, including—

(A) transportation to or from a local office of the supplemental nutrition assistance program; and

(B) administration of vouchers or similar items for the transportation described in subparagraph (A).

(4) Identification, implementation, analysis, and dissemination of replicable and scalable models for increasing enrollment in the supplemental nutrition assistance program among older adults, kinship families, and adults with disabilities.

(e) Grants

(1) Maximum amount. A grant awarded under the pilot program to an eligible entity for a fiscal year shall be—

(A) not less than $50,000; and

(B) not more than $250,000.

(2) Duration. An eligible entity may be awarded a grant under the pilot program for not more than 5 years.

(f) Evaluation. Not later than 2 years after the date of establishment of the pilot program, the Secretary shall conduct an evaluation of the pilot program.

(g) Funding

(1) In general. In addition to amounts otherwise available, there is appropriated, out of any funds in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, $12,250,000, to remain available until expended, to carry out the pilot program, of which not more than $250,000 shall be used to carry out the evaluation under subsection (f).

(2) Administrative costs. Of the amounts made available under paragraph (1) (excluding the amount made available to carry out subsection (f)), not more than 3 percent may be used by the Secretary for administrative costs.

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