Developing the Community Health Workforce Act of 2026
Sponsored By: Representative Ruiz, Raul [D-CA-25]
Introduced
Summary
Would expand the health workforce at Federally Qualified Health Centers and rural health clinics to improve access and strengthen care teams in underserved areas. It would create loan repayment grants, authorize apprenticeships and college partnerships, expand residency slots tied to health centers, and add Medicare and Medicaid coverage for behavioral health and case management.
Show full summary
- Patients and families in rural and underserved communities would gain more local clinicians and broader services, including Medicare-covered behavioral health and case management starting Oct. 1, 2025.
- Clinicians, support staff, and students would get new loan repayment grants, funded training and mentorships, and the ability for Federally Qualified Health Centers to register as federal apprenticeship programs within 180 days; colleges and minority-serving institutions could partner to train staff.
- Teaching hospitals and residency programs would see expanded graduate medical education support, including a boost of 3 full-time resident slots for hospitals with programs substantially conducted at health centers and expanded Teaching Health Center payment rules for 2-year residencies.
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
4 provisions identified: 4 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.
Loan help and training grants for clinics
This bill would authorize grants to health centers and colleges to recruit, train, and keep staff. It would let Federally Qualified Health Centers get grants to make loan repayments for health professionals who serve there. Grants could pay stipends, apprenticeships, educator salaries, and mentorships. Loan repayment grant applications would need data on regional shortages, a loan repayment plan, and an interdisciplinary care description.
More Medicare and Medicaid services at clinics
This bill would add behavioral health services and case management to the list of services at community health clinics. Medicare would cover these new services when furnished on or after October 1, 2025. The Department of Health and Human Services would study how States adjust clinic payment amounts and issue guidance by October 1, 2025 and then at least once a year.
Apprenticeship and Corps priority for clinics
This bill would require the Labor Department to change apprenticeship rules within 180 days so community health centers can register as apprenticeship programs. It would also require priority for assigning Corps health professionals to health professional shortage areas that are community health centers and rural health clinics.
More residency slots and teaching sites
This bill would let entities with a written "covered agreement" of at least two years qualify for Teaching Health Center payments for expenses on or after October 1, 2025. It would also allow qualifying hospitals to add 3 full-time equivalent residency positions to their Medicare resident limit for cost reporting periods beginning on or after October 1, 2025, when a large part of the residency is conducted at a community health center.
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Ruiz, Raul [D-CA-25]
CA • D
Cosponsors
Bilirakis
FL • R
Sponsored 4/30/2026
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
View on Congress.gov