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

Sec. 4008. Medicaid fallback coverage program for low-income adults in non-expansion States

(a) In general. As soon as possible after the date of enactment of this Act the Secretary of Health and Human Services (in this section referred to as the Secretary) shall—

(1) directly or by contract, establish a program that offers eligible individuals the opportunity to enroll in health benefits coverage that meets the requirements described in subsection (c) and any requirements applicable to such coverage pursuant to subsection (d); and

(2) ensure that such program is administered consistent with the requirements of section 431.10(c)(2) of title 42, Code of Federal Regulations.

(b) Definition of eligible individual. In this section, the term eligible individual means an individual who—

(1) is described in section 1902(a)(10)(A)(i)(VIII) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1396a(a)(10)(A)(i)(VIII));

(2) resides in a State that—

(A) does not expend amounts for medical assistance under title XIX of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1396 et seq.) for all individuals described in such section; and

(B) did not expend amounts for medical assistance under such title for all such individuals as of the date of enactment of this Act; and

(3) would not be eligible for medical assistance under such State's plan for medical assistance under title XIX of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1396 et seq.), or a waiver of such plan, as such plan or waiver was in effect on such date.

(c) Health benefits coverage requirements. The requirements described in this subsection with respect to health benefits coverage are the following:

(1) Essential health benefits. At a minimum, the coverage meets the minimum standards required under paragraph (5) of section 1937(b) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1396u–7(b)) for benchmark coverage described in paragraph (1) of such section or benchmark equivalent coverage described in paragraph (2) of such section.

(2) Premiums and cost-sharing. No premiums are imposed for the coverage, and deductibles, cost-sharing, or similar charges may only be imposed in accordance with the requirements imposed on State Medicaid plans under section 1916 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1396o).

(d) Application of requirements and provisions of title XIX of the Social Security Act. The Secretary shall specify that—

(1) any requirement applicable to the furnishing of medical assistance under title XIX of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1396 et seq.) by States that have elected to make medical assistance available to individuals described in section 1902(a)(10)(A)(i)(VIII) of such title (42 U.S.C. 1396a(a)(10)(A)(i)(VIII)) that does not conflict with the requirements specified in subsection (c) applies to the program established under this section; and

(2) other provisions of such title apply to such program.

(e) No State mandate. Nothing in this section shall be construed as requiring a State to make expenditures related to the program established under this section and the Secretary shall not impose any such requirement.

(f) Funding. There are appropriated to the Secretary for each fiscal year beginning with fiscal year 2027 from any funds in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, such sums as are necessary to carry out this section.

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

XI Protections to combat regulatory harm to health equity