S. 5627 — John Lewis Equality in Medicare and Medicaid Treatment Act of 2026

This section expands the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation’s mandate to advance health equity, requires consultation with the Office of Minority Health, Office of Rural Health Policy, and Office on Women’s Health before model selection, and adds expertise requirements on health disparities and social determinants of health. It directs the Secretary to test a new social determinants of health payment model by December 31, 2027, covering behavioral health, underserved-area capacity, and Medicaid-eligible pregnant and postpartum women. It adds evaluation criteria on access for high-risk patients and disparity reduction, incorporates health equity into model termination and expansion decisions beginning January 1, 2027, and requires annual reports on disparity interventions, federal savings, and effectiveness.