Kelly, Thompson, Smith telehealth legislation passes Ways & Means Committee in package that expands, protects telehealth access

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- On Wednesday, the Ways & Means Committee advanced H.R. 8151, bipartisan legislation led by U.S. Reps. Mike Kelly (R-PA), Mike Thompson (D-CA), and Adrian Smith (R-NE) that would permanently expand the list of practitioners eligible who provide telehealth services to include qualified physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech language pathologists, and audiologists. The bill was included in H.R. 8261, The Preserving Telehealth, Hospital, and Ambulance Access Act, introduced by Reps. David Schweikert (R-AZ) and Mike Thompson (D-CA).

"I'm incredibly pleased to see this critical legislation advance out of our committee. Americans across the country, especially rural areas, have seen the benefits of telehealth services following the COVID-19 pandemic," said Rep. Kelly. "Seniors now have the convenience of seeing their doctor from the comfort of their own home. Families with children have new flexibility to work around their busy lives. I am pleased to lead the expansion of these critical services to cover more practitioners who play a vital role in caring for our communities. This bill makes great strides towards delivering modern solutions to our constituents' future health care needs."

"Since my days in the State Senate, I've been a big believer in telehealth's ability to save money, time, and lives," said Rep. Thompson. "Telehealth allows patients-especially those with low mobility or who otherwise can't make it to the doctor's office-to access the care they need when they need it. Expanding Americans' access to telehealth's vital services just makes sense. It was great to pass this through the Ways and Means committee and I look forward to bringing this to the floor for a vote."

"Telehealth innovation is a game-changing solution for rural health care challenges," said Rep. Smith. "I'm grateful we were able to advance this commonsense measure out of the Ways and Means Committee providing Americans with greater access to care. I will continue working with my colleagues to enact telehealth solutions benefitting both providers and patients."

The bill was among six bills approved by the Committee during a markup on Wednesday that addressed a wide range of pressing health care issues, particularly those facing rural communities. The package of bills preserves vital telehealth and health-at-home access, helps prevent rural hospital closures and bring back others already shuttered, incentivizes greater access to ambulance services, and expands the number of doctors and nurses in rural communities.

BACKGROUND

H.R. 8261, The Preserving Telehealth, Hospital, and Ambulance Access Act:

• Preserves Medicare patients' access to vital telehealth for two years and Hospital-at-Home services for five years.
  -- Telehealth: 25 percent of adults report having utilized telehealth in the past month and 78 percent are likely to complete a medical appointment via telehealth again.
  -- Hospital-at-Home: 300 hospitals in 37 states now participate in Hospital-at-Home and 99 percent of patients were "satisfied" or "very satisfied" with Hospital-at-Home.
• Preserves essential Medicare programs that sustain rural and low-volume hospitals expiring in 2024.
  -- Nearly 4.5 million Americans live in counties without an acute care hospital.
  -- Rural hospitals have low patient volumes and rely more on federal health programs, contributing to unique care delivery and financial challenges.
• Preserves Medicare add-on payments for urban, rural, and super-rural areas to preserve access to crucial emergency ambulance services expiring in 2024.
  -- 84 percent of rural counties and 77 percent of urban counties have "ambulance deserts" where access to an ambulance station is more than 25 minutes away.

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