The Biden Administration is awarding nearly $1 billion in American Rescue Plan funding through the HRSA to about 1,300 health centers across the country for capital improvements, including telehealth expansion. By Eric Wicklund September 28, 2021 – The Biden Administration is shelling out almost $1 billion in American Rescue Plan funding to health centers in every state to […]
What’s the news: There are some major health care issues the massive budget-reconciliation package that Congress is working on this month must not overlook. Most important, these two policy concepts deserve to be included in the final legislation: Medicare program sustainability and postponement of impending physician payment cuts set to take effect in January. Continued access to telehealth in order […]
UNITED STATES — The United States Department of Agriculture is making up to $500 million available in grants to help rural healthcare facilities, tribes and communities expand access to COVID-19 vaccines, healthcare services and nutrition assistance. President Biden’s comprehensive plan to recover the economy and deliver relief to the American people is changing the course […]
Klobuchar, Smith Announce USDA Grant Program to Support Health Care in Rural Communities Klobuchar and Smith held event with U.S. Agriculture Secretary Vilsack to announce the program WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Tina Smith (D-MN) joined U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack to announce that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will make significant funding […]
The Big Picture This month, a majority of states are beginning to adjourn their 2021 legislative sessions. Across the country, lawmakers considered and passed a wide range of health care legislation, including coverage expansions as well as strategies to contain prescription drug costs, address health care affordability, advance and expand telehealth, and ensure behavioral health care […]
A bipartisan group of U.S. Senators have reintroduced the Creating Opportunities Now for Necessary and Effective Care Technologies (CONNECT) for Health Act of 2021. If enacted the bill would expand Medicare coverage of telehealth service and make permanent flexibilities for virtual services implemented on a temporary basis during the COVID-19 pandemic. Primary sponsors include Sens […]
The legislation, sponsored by 50 senators, would permanently remove geographic restrictions on telehealth sites and expand originating sites, among other provisions. By Kat Jercich April 30, 2021 09:06 AM A bipartisan group comprising half of U.S. senators has reintroduced the Creating Opportunities Now for Necessary and Effective Care Technologies (CONNECT) for Health Act of 2021. […]
More than 400 advocacy groups are calling for Congress to act quickly to permanently expand flexibilities for telehealth that could go away after the end of the COVID-19 public health emergency expected to run through 2021. The 430 groups sent a letter to congressional leadership on Monday underscoring the urgency for action now amid concerns from providers […]
More than 400 healthcare and technology organizations are calling on Capitol Hill to eliminate arbitrary restrictions while helping FQHCs and critical access hospitals offer wider access to virtual care. By Mike Miliard July 27, 202109:55 AM Leading healthcare industry stakeholders on Monday implored top leaders in the House and Senate to help ensure, among other imperatives, […]
Alaska Senators Dan Sullivan and Lisa Murkowski last week introduced the Rural and Frontier Telehealth Expansion Act. The legislation aims to permanently expand access to telehealth beyond the COVID-19 pandemic. The Alaska senators were joined by Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Jon Tester (D-Mont.), Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), and Ben Ray Lujan (D-N.M.) in introducing the bipartisan legislation. The […]
The rapid growth and large-scale adoption of telehealth services over the past 18 months has allowed physicians to deliver a broad range of badly needed services to patients nationwide in an innovative, cost-effective manner. Now it’s time to cement that success by making permanent the temporary easing of restrictions that brought the full potential of […]
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV), a member of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP), and Senator Dan Sullivan (R-AK), led a bipartisan group of Senators – including Senators Jon Tester (D-MT), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Ben Ray Lujan (D-NM), and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) – in announcing the introduction of their Rural […]
WASHINGTON, D.C. (May 25, 2021)—Recently, legislation has been introduced in both the Senate and House of Representatives that would make various improvements to the provision of telehealth. The Creating Opportunities Now for Necessary and Effective Care Technologies (CONNECT) for Health Act of 2021 (S. 1512/H.R. 2903) is being led by Sens. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Roger […]
It is not a coincidence that two symbolic healthcare policy events took place this week. I’m talking about the Senate’s confirmation of Chiquita Brooks-LaSure as administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and the introduction of H.R. 3447, the Permanency for Audio-Only Telehealth Act. The latter would allow for Medicare coverage of audio-only telehealth services […]