Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026

This bill makes changes across federal health programs. Its first part changes how the federal government collects health data. Federal health programs would have to collect and report data by race, ethnicity, sex, primary language, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, disability status, and income level. People would be allowed to choose more than one race or ethnicity, and federal health surveys would have to include extra samples of groups that are underrepresented. The Social Security Administration would collect these details from people applying for Social Security or Medicare. A person's benefits could not be denied because they declined to give this information. The bill also covers many other areas, including Medicaid and Medicare coverage, the health workforce, mental health, maternal health, school meals, and nutrition assistance.

Full text and official record on Congress.gov

Sponsors

• Alex Padilla Democrat sponsor
• 4 cosponsors