Senators Urge Permanent Extension of Telehealth Flexibilities for Medicare Beneficiaries

A bipartisan group of Senators sent a letter to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Shumer (D-NY) and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) urging them advance the CONNECT for Health Act, which would permanently extend telehealth flexibilities for Medicare beneficiaries.

The CONNECT for Health Act is sponsored by Senator Brian Schatz (D-HI) and has bipartisan support with more than 60 cosponsors. The Act would allow practitioners to provide clinically appropriate telehealth services and require the Department of Health and Human Services to provide training to practitioners about telehealth requirements and best practices. Federally qualified health centers and rural health clinics would also be able to provide telehealth services.

Currently, telehealth flexibilities are set to expire at the end of this year. CONNECT for Health Act would not only permanently extend telehealth flexibilities for the 67 million Medicare beneficiaries but also would also establish an important precedent, as private insurers often look to Medicare in deciding whether to cover a service.

ACA will continue monitoring policies around telehealth coverage and will provide you with key updates. For more information or if you would like to become involved in ACA’s advocacy efforts, please contact the Government and Public Policy team at advocacy@counseling.org.