Political Quotes

“Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding. One of the many lessons we learned during the pandemic is the ability to take care of patients who are safely in their own homes. It was truly a highlight. Understanding that we will not be going back to the status quo of 2019, we must recognize how telehealth has allowed our country to take a monumental step forward toward digitally enabled care. Telehealth has allowed Americans to take care of immediate and necessary health needs from their homes without the costs and health risks that are often associated with an in-person visit. They don't incur costs for parking. They don't have to take time off from work. They don't have to hire a babysitter. While I am in support of this legislation, it does not go far enough. We do need to provide a permanent solution for Medicare providers and, most importantly, their patients. It is important that providers are given long-term certainty when taking care of their Medicare patients and are technologically capable of delivering the best care possible. Yesterday, I introduced, along with Representatives Greg Murphy and Yvette Herrell, H.R. 8506 to permanently extend Medicare coverage of telehealth services for federally qualified health centers and rural health clinics. This important permanent extension would ensure that following the pandemic, providers and patients continue to have access to telehealth flexibilities, especially in rural and underserved areas.…”