On the recordJuly 27, 2022
As the Chairwoman of the Health Subcommittee and a senior member of the Communications and Technology Subcommittee, I've advanced the importance of telehealth for years. Over the last several months, as I've talked to health care professionals and providers in my district, I've heard how the wide adoption of telehealth has been the bright spot during the pandemic. One reason for that bright spot is that HHS waived many rules and payment policies surrounding telehealth coverage in traditional Medicare during the public health emergency. A recent HHS Office of the Inspector General report found that over 28 million Medicare beneficiaries used telehealth during the first year of the pandemic, demonstrating the long-term potential of telehealth to increase access to health care for beneficiaries. Now that beneficiaries have received this important benefit, they fully appreciate what telehealth does for them. We must find a way to continue telehealth access for seniors and all Americans. That's why I'm proud to support Representatives Liz Cheney and Debbie Dingell's bipartisan H.R. 4040, the ``Advancing Telehealth Beyond COVID-19 Act of 2022.'' The bill will allow Medicare beneficiaries to use telehealth services after the public health emergency ends by eliminating geographical restrictions on Medicare coverage for telehealth services and expand Medicare coverage to include audio-only telehealth. I urge my colleagues to support this important, bipartisan bill.
