WASHINGTON—The United States Senate passed a bipartisan funding bill that included a provision that will extend telehealth access for Americans enrolled in Medicare through the end of 2027.
The Creating Opportunities Now for Necessary and Effective Care Technologies (CONNECT) for Health Act will expand coverage of telehealth services through Medicare, make COVID-19 telehealth flexibilities permanent, and make it easier for patients to connect with their doctors. Current flexibilities are set to expire on Sept. 30 unless Congress extends them.
U.S. Sens. Brian Schatz, Roger Wicker, Mark Warner, Cindy Hyde-Smith, Peter Welch and John Barrasso led a bipartisan group of 60 senators in reintroducing the bill. Since its initial introduction, several provisions of the bill have been enacted into law or adopted by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), including provisions to remove restrictions on telehealth services for mental health, stroke care and home dialysis.
“Telehealth is helping people get the care they need, and it’s here to stay," said Schatz. "This two-year extension will mean Medicare patients will continue to see their doctors no matter where they live."
“We live in a digital world, and our health services should reflect that," said Wicker. "In the past decade, telehealth has made medical care more accessible for patients across the state and country. It is time to make telehealth coverage permanent for Medicare recipients so that more Americans ... have access to health care.”
The CONNECT for Health Act would:
- Permanently remove all geographic restrictions on telehealth services and expand originating sites to the location of the patient, including homes
- Permanently allow health centers and rural health clinics to provide telehealth services
- Allow more eligible health care professionals to utilize telehealth services
- Remove unnecessary in-person visit requirement for telemental health services
- Allow for the waiver of telehealth restrictions during public health emergencies
- Require more published data to learn more about how telehealth is being used, impacts of quality of care and how it can be improved to support patients and health care providers