Health Equity and Rare Disease Act of 2025 or the HEARD Act of 2025
This bill establishes Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) grants and other initiatives to address rare diseases or conditions (e.g., those affecting less than 200,000 people in the United States) in racial and ethnic minority populations.
For example, to advance such purposes, the bill establishes within HHS
- grants to public and private nonprofit entities for data collection and public outreach,
- grants to health professions schools to improve health care and minority representation in research regarding rare diseases and conditions,
- grants to tribal epidemiology centers and tribal and urban Indian health centers for research regarding rare diseases and conditions in tribal communities,
- scholarships and educational loan repayment for medical school students who agree to work as health care professionals serving populations with rare diseases or conditions,
- initiatives to coordinate research and other activities across the National Institutes of Health, and
- public health awareness and education campaigns.
Also, the bill requires HHS to submit various reports to Congress on topics including (1) the federal government’s research and public health activities regarding rare diseases or conditions in minority populations, (2) regulatory barriers to treating rare diseases in Medicare beneficiaries of color, and (3) strategies for research and development of treatments for rare diseases or conditions that disproportionately impact minority populations.