Lawmakers Refile Connect to Health Act to Increase Telehealth Availability

Senate Communications Subcommittee ranking member Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, Commerce Committee Chairman Roger Wicker, R-Miss., and Reps. Mike Thompson, D-Calif., and Peter Welch, D-Vt., led refiling of the Creating Opportunities Now for Necessary and Effective Care Technologies (Connect) for Health Act Wednesday. The bill aims to expand telehealth services through Medicare (see 1602030054). It would give the Health and Human Services secretary authority to waive some restrictions. Telehealth “is advancing, more providers and patients are relying on it, and we have broad bipartisan support,” Schatz said. It “will help bring access to telehealth to more areas across our nation by expanding use to services like mental health and emergency care, improving the implementation process, including new sites that can provide telehealth care like Federally-qualified health centers, and helping providers better monitor patients,” Thompson said. Original Senate co-sponsors include Communications Chairman John Thune, R-S.D.; and Ben Cardin, D-Md.; Cindy Hyde-Smith, R-Miss.; and Mark Warner, D-Va. The House version's original co-sponsors are Bill Johnson, R-Ohio, and David Schweikert, R-Ariz. Lawmakers touted endorsements from 120-plus organizations.