Health Access Innovation Act of 2025
- Bill Number
- H.R. 5417
- Origin Chamber
- House
- Congress
- 119th Congress, Session 1
- Policy Area
- Health
- Status
- Introduced
- Latest Action
- 2025-09-16: Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
- Last Updated
- 2025-12-05T22:48:30Z
AI-Generated Summary
Purpose of the Legislation
The Health Access Innovation Act of 2025 aims to improve health equity by authorizing the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services to provide grants to faith-based or community-based organizations. These grants focus on expanding access to culturally and linguistically appropriate health care, fostering innovation, and tackling ongoing health disparities and chronic diseases in underserved areas.
Key Provisions
- Grant Activities: Grants can fund:
- Costs for medical services, health screenings, tests, and preventive care.
- Efforts to broaden access to health care and public health services, including increasing the diversity of health workers, providing services in patients' preferred languages and cultures, and addressing social factors like poverty or transportation barriers that affect health.
- Support for community health workers (such as navigators, peer specialists, or "promotores de salud" – trusted community members who help connect people to care), especially those from faith- or community-based groups with personal experience in the issues.
- Building organizational capacity and other programs targeting social determinants of health (non-medical factors like housing or education that influence well-being).
- Eligibility: Organizations must be faith- or community-based, show a track record in addressing health disparities in affected communities, and be located in medically underserved areas (regions with limited health resources) or health professional shortage areas (places lacking enough doctors or other providers).
- Priorities: Preference goes to organizations that ran health workforce or access programs during public health emergencies, like pandemics.
- Definitions: A "community-based organization" is defined as a private nonprofit group focused on serving local communities, as outlined in federal education law.
- Funding: Authorizes $50 million in fiscal year 2026, increasing annually to $70 million in fiscal year 2029 (with a possible clerical error in the bill repeating 2029 for the final year). Up to 5% of funds can cover administrative costs for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
Significant Changes to Existing Law
This bill adds a new section (399V-8) to Part P of Title III of the Public Health Service Act (a key federal law governing public health programs). It introduces a dedicated grant program specifically for faith- and community-based organizations, which was not previously authorized in this part of the law. This expands HHS's tools for health equity without altering other existing programs.
Potential Impacts
- On Government Agencies: HHS will administer the grants, potentially increasing its workload in grant oversight and evaluation, but with built-in limits on administrative spending to ensure most funds reach communities.
- On Citizens: People in underserved or shortage areas, especially those facing chronic diseases or disparities (e.g., racial, ethnic, or low-income groups), could gain better access to preventive care and support services, reducing barriers to timely health care.
- On International Relations: No direct impacts, as the bill focuses on domestic U.S. public health initiatives.
Main Stakeholders Affected
- Faith- and Community-Based Organizations: Primary recipients, gaining funding to enhance their role in local health delivery.
- Underserved Communities: Residents in medically underserved or shortage areas, benefiting from improved services and trusted local support.
- Health Workers and Navigators: Community-based professionals, including peer specialists, who may receive training or employment opportunities.
- Department of Health and Human Services (HHS): Responsible for awarding and managing grants.
Notable Legal, Constitutional, or Political Implications
- Legal: The bill aligns with existing federal authority under the Public Health Service Act to promote public health, emphasizing community involvement without creating new mandates or liabilities. It defines terms clearly to avoid ambiguity in grant applications.
- Constitutional: No apparent conflicts; it supports equal protection by targeting disparities, potentially advancing equity under the Constitution's general welfare clause, while respecting the role of nonprofit and faith-based groups in public programs.
- Political: Encourages partnerships between government and local organizations, which could foster bipartisan support for community-driven health solutions. It prioritizes responses to public health emergencies, highlighting lessons from events like COVID-19, but may spark debates on funding allocation amid competing health priorities.
This summary was generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies. Refer to the official source document for the authoritative text.
Sponsor
Rep. Williams, Nikema [D-GA-5]
Cosponsors (3)
Rep. Clarke, Yvette D. [D-NY-9], Rep. Kennedy, Timothy M. [D-NY-26], Rep. Hayes, Jahana [D-CT-5]
Recent Actions
- 2025-09-16: Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
- 2025-09-16: Introduced in House
- 2025-09-16: Introduced in House
Bill Versions
- Health Access Innovation Act of 2025 — issued 2025-09-16 — PDF (4 pages)