The DASH Act establishes a new federal rental voucher program specifically for individuals and families experiencing homelessness or at risk of homelessness, providing 250,000 vouchers in 2026 and expanding to 400,000 annually thereafter. This initiative requires public housing agencies to partner with local service providers to offer supportive services such as healthcare, job training, and case management while prohibiting conditions related to sobriety or criminal history for most applicants. The bill also expands rural housing assistance by increasing funding for loans and grants aimed at preserving affordable rental housing for farm laborers and low-income residents in non-metropolitan areas. Additionally, the legislation introduces new tax credits to encourage the construction of affordable housing, including a renters credit for low-income households, a middle-income housing credit, and a neighborhood homes credit for distressed communities.
The Rural Hospital Cybersecurity Enhancement Act directs the Department of Health and Human Services to create a workforce development plan aimed at training cybersecurity professionals specifically for rural hospitals. This strategy requires the Secretary to consult with various federal agencies and healthcare representatives while focusing on partnerships, curriculum development, and identifying local security challenges. Additionally, the bill mandates the publication of free instructional materials and an awareness campaign to help rural hospital staff learn fundamental cybersecurity skills. The legislation does not authorize any new funding, relying instead on existing resources to implement these training and educational initiatives.
The Welcome Back to the Health Care Workforce Act authorizes federal grants to help internationally educated health care professionals integrate into the U.S. workforce. These funds will be awarded to groups such as hospitals, universities, and government agencies that partner to provide career support, including licensing assistance, English language training, and mentoring programs. The legislation prioritizes projects that address workforce shortages in rural areas and communities with significant gaps in health care staffing. Recipients must use at least 20 percent of the grant money for system-wide improvements like employer education and career ladders, while the rest can support individual needs such as exam preparation and living expenses. The bill also requires grant recipients to submit annual reports on how many professionals they helped employ and retain.
The Childhood Diabetes Reduction Act of 2026 requires manufacturers to place prominent warning labels on the front of sugar-sweetened beverages, foods with high-intensity sweeteners, and ultra-processed items, while also restricting how these products are advertised to children under 13. The bill empowers the Federal Trade Commission to ban advertisements for these labeled foods that use themes appealing to young children and mandates that any ads for such products clearly display the required health warnings. Additionally, the legislation directs the National Institutes of Health to fund research into the health effects of processed foods and convene public meetings to review nutrition science, while authorizing a public education campaign to help consumers understand the new labeling system.
This bill directs the Director of the Defense Health Agency to submit a report to Congress on whether it is feasible to create a pilot fellowship program for behavioral neurology. The proposed program would train two medical doctors each year to treat service members and veterans with traumatic brain injuries, focusing on the connection between behavior and brain trauma. To qualify, fellows must hold a medical degree and have completed a residency in neurology or psychiatry, though board certification is not required to participate. The report must evaluate potential locations for the program and confirm that it meets specific requirements, including accreditation and the ability for fellows to pursue future board certification.
The Health DATA Act of 2026 strengthens the rights of group health plans to audit data held by healthcare providers and other service entities, requiring these partners to allow access to de-identified claims and pricing information without unreasonable restrictions. The bill mandates that contracts must permit audits to verify compliance and determine the reasonableness of compensation while strictly protecting participant privacy through existing HIPAA regulations. It also establishes new penalties for violations, including daily fines for failing to allow audits or discriminating against participants based on their plan data. Additionally, the law clarifies that plan sponsors and administrators have a fiduciary duty to safeguard data and makes it unlawful for employers or plan administrators to discriminate against individuals based on information derived from their health plans.
The MOMMIES Act expands Medicaid and CHIP coverage for low-income pregnant and postpartum individuals by extending continuous benefits for one year after childbirth and mandating full coverage of oral health services. To support these changes, the bill includes maintenance of effort provisions that prevent states from restricting eligibility or reducing benefits for this population, alongside a temporary 100 percent federal funding match for states that increase spending on these services. Additionally, the legislation establishes a five-year demonstration project to fund maternity care home models that integrate medical and social support services, while also requiring studies and guidance on improving access to doula services and telehealth for maternity care.
The TRUTH in Coverage Act of 2026 requires group health plans and health insurance issuers that cover gender-affirming procedures to also cover medical services aimed at treating the physical and psychological harms caused by those procedures. This mandate applies regardless of whether the original procedure was covered under the plan and ensures that follow-up care has the same cost-sharing rules and limitations as other standard medical benefits. The bill defines "sex-rejecting procedures" broadly to include hormone therapy, surgeries, and puberty blockers, while explicitly excluding treatments for intersex conditions, precocious puberty, and emergency care. Coverage for these restorative services would become effective for plan years starting on or after January 1, 2027.
This bill establishes a comprehensive federal program to reduce medical errors and waste caused by misdiagnoses by funding research, developing new tools, and training healthcare professionals. It creates a new interagency council and research centers to study diagnostic failures, while also setting up a safe, voluntary reporting system for patients to share their experiences without fear of legal repercussions. The legislation authorizes funding over several years to support these initiatives, standardize medical data for better analysis, and ensure that patient perspectives are central to improving how diagnoses are made and managed across the healthcare system.
The TRUTH in Coverage Act of 2026 requires group health plans and health insurance issuers that cover gender-affirming procedures to also cover medical services intended to treat physical and psychological complications resulting from those procedures. This mandate applies regardless of whether the original gender-affirming treatment was covered by the plan and ensures that any required follow-up care faces the same cost-sharing rules and limitations as standard medical benefits. The bill defines "sex-rejecting procedures" broadly to include hormone therapy, surgeries, and puberty blockers, while explicitly excluding treatments for intersex conditions, life-threatening emergencies, and standard puberty suppression for early puberty. These provisions would take effect for plan years beginning on or after January 1, 2027, affecting individuals with access to employer-sponsored or individual health insurance.
