Political Quotes

“Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of this legislation. I have been working on telehealth and telemedicine for nearly three decades, since my time in the California State Senate. As founder and Co-Chair of the Congressional Telehealth Caucus, I have repeatedly introduced multiple bipartisan bills expanding access to telehealth, and have worked with my colleagues on the caucus-- including Ms. Matsui, Mr. Welch, Mr. Schweikert, and Mr. Johnson of Ohio--to ensure that access to telehealth services does not disappear at the conclusion of the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency. I was proud to author legislation two years ago expanding telehealth in Medicare for the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic. That legislation--which was included in the very first COVID-19 relief measure advanced by Congress--has allowed millions of seniors on Medicare to see their doctors over the past two years without leaving their homes. By allowing these patients to receive the care they need remotely, we've been able to minimize transmission risk while maximizing safety for both patients and providers. In my view, the expansion and widespread adoption of telehealth services is one of the few silver linings of COVID-19.…”