Young, Colleagues Introduce Legislation to Expand Telehealth Access

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Todd Young (R-Ind.) joined a group of 60 senators in reintroducing the Creating Opportunities Now for Necessary and Effective Care Technologies (CONNECT) for Health Act. The CONNECT for Health Act would expand coverage of telehealth services through Medicare, make certain telehealth flexibilities permanent, and make it easier for patients to connect with their doctors. Current flexibilities are set to expire on September 30 unless Congress extends them.

“Telehealth is an example of how innovation can improve lives. Our bill will help ensure Americans continue to have access to affordable and quality health care provided by telehealth services,” said Senator Young.

Telehealth provides essential access to care with nearly a quarter of Americans accessing telehealth in a month, according to the most recent available data.

More specifically, the CONNECT for Health Act would:

1. Permanently remove all geographic restrictions on telehealth services and expand originating sites to the location of the patient, including homes;
2. Permanently allow health centers and rural health clinics to provide telehealth services;
3. Allow more eligible health care professionals to utilize telehealth services;
4. Remove unnecessary in-person visit requirement for telemental health services;
5. Allow for the waiver of telehealth restrictions during public health emergencies; and
6. Require additional published data to learn more about how telehealth is being used, impacts on quality of care, and how it can be improved to support patients and health care providers.

In addition to Senator Young, U.S. Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), Mark Warner (D-Va.), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), John Thune (R-S.D.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), James Lankford (R-Okla.), Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), John Fetterman (D-Pa.), Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Katie Britt (R-Ala.), Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), Ben Ray Lujan (D-N.M.), Bill Cassidy (R-La.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Angus King (I-Maine.), Jim Justice (R-W.Va.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), John Hoeven (R-N.D.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Roger Marshall (R-Kan.), Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), and John Boozman (R-Ark.) also co-sponsored the legislation.

Companion legislation was introduced last Congress in the House of Representatives by Reps. Mike Thompson (D-CA-4), Doris Matsui (D-CA-7), David Schweikert (R-AZ-1), and Bill Johnson (R-OH-6).

Full text of the legislation can be found here.