House to Debate Extending CARES Act Telehealth Coverage Indefinitely

The House of Representatives is setting the stage for discussion on extending telehealth freedoms enacted over the past few months by the Health and Human Services Department to address the coronavirus pandemic.

A bill introduced this past week in the House aims to make those freedoms permanent. Called the Advancing Telehealth Beyond COVID-19 Act, it would “continue the telehealth policies implemented by the Trump Administration and through the CARES Act, while advancing access to emerging technology for seniors especially in rural areas.”

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“This bill will allow seniors to utilize telehealth services even after the emergency declaration has ended. COVID-19 presented unprecedented challenges, one being the facilitation of a safe environment for our seniors to receive high quality health care,” Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY), who introduced the bill with Reps. Greg Gianforte (R-MT), David Kustoff (R-TN) and Jason Smith (R-MO), said in a press release.

“Congress has worked with the Trump Administration to remove many of the barriers that prevented seniors from utilizing telehealth services from the safety of their homes,” Cheney said. “As a result, telehealth use among seniors has continued to rise and this legislation would continue this successful trend well after the pandemic is over, while allowing Medicare to adapt to the ever-changing innovation in medical technology.”

“This bill will keep the barriers down for good, ensuring Montanans have greater access to high-quality, more affordable care,” added Gianforte, who’d submitted a bill in February calling for a national telehealth strategy, in a separate release.

No text or summary of the bill was available as of June 29.

According to its sponsors, the bill would direct the HHS Secretary to eliminate originating site and geographical limitations to Medicare coverage for telehealth, which had been waived for the duration of the national emergency in the CARES Act. It would also make permanent telehealth coverage at federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) and rural health centers (RHCs), and remove “restrictions that limit health care providers’ ability to provide access to smart devices and innovative digital technology to their patients.”

The bill joins no fewer than half a dozen other bills aiming to expand telehealth and mHealth opportunities in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as a task force of healthcare providers, organizations, vendors and advocates formed to lobby for permanent telehealth freedoms.  

The task force is seeking public comments by July 8 on extending telehealth coverage beyond the pandemic, and will host a live town hall after that date.