H.R. 9877

Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026

Sponsor: Raul Ruiz

26 cosponsors
Follow this bill

Official summary

No official summary yet.

Text of the bill

Expand all

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

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

Sec. 10352. Higher Education Act of 1965

(a) Teacher quality enhancement. Section 200(11) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1021(11)) is amended by striking subparagraph (A) and inserting the following:

Text this section adds to the law

(A) In general. The term high-need school means a school that is in the highest quartile of schools in a ranking of all schools served by a local educational agency, ranked in descending order by percentage of students from low-income families enrolled in such schools, as determined by the local educational agency based on one of the following measures of poverty:

(i) The percentage of students aged 5 through 17 in poverty counted in the most recent census data approved by the Secretary.

(ii) The percentage of students in families receiving assistance under the State program funded under the program of block grants to States for temporary assistance for needy families established under part A of title IV of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 601 et seq.).

(iii) The percentage of students eligible to receive medical assistance under the program of medical assistance established under title XIX of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1396 et seq.).

(iv) A composite of 2 or more of the measures described in clauses (i) through (iii).

(b) GEAR Up. Section 404B(d)(1) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1070a–22(d)(1)) is amended by striking subparagraph (A) and inserting the following:

Text this section adds to the law

(A) provide services under this chapter to at least one grade level of students, beginning not later than 7th grade, in a participating school—

(i) that has a 7th grade; and

(ii) in which—

(I) at least 50 percent of the students enrolled are economically disadvantaged students (as identified under a measure described in section 1113(a)(5) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965); or

(II) if an eligible entity determines that it would promote the effectiveness of a program, an entire grade level of students, beginning not later than the 7th grade, reside in public housing, as defined in section 3(b)(1) of the United States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437a(b)(1)).

(c) Simplified Application for Federal Student Financial Aid

(1) In General. Section 483(a)(2)(B)(ii)(XVII) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1090(a)(2)(B)(ii)(XVII)) is amended—

(A) by striking item (cc); and

(B) by redesignating items (dd) through (jj) as items (cc) through (ii), respectively.

(2) Effective date. The amendments made by this section shall take effect as if included in section 702 of division FF of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (Public Law 116–260) and subject to the effective date of section 701(b) of such FAFSA Simplification Act, as amended by section 102(a) of the FAFSA Simplification Act Technical Corrections Act (division R of Public Law 117–103) (including the authorization provided under section 102(c)(1)(A) of such Act).

(d) Early Federal Pell Grant commitment demonstration program. Section 894(b) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1161y(b)) is amended—

(1) in paragraph (1)(B), by striking qualify for a free or reduced price school lunch under the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 1751 et seq.) or the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 (42 U.S.C. 1771 et seq.) and inserting are economically disadvantaged students (as identified under a measure described in section 1113(a)(5) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965); and

(2) in paragraph (5), by striking eligible for a free or reduced price school lunch under the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 1751 et seq.) or the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 (42 U.S.C. 1771 et seq.) and inserting economically disadvantaged students (as identified under a measure described in section 1113(a)(5) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965).

XI Protections to combat regulatory harm to health equity