Bipartisan U.S. House Bill Aims to Protect Rural Telehealth

The bill would permanently expand telehealth services that were adopted during the coronavirus pandemic.

A bipartisan coalition in the U.S. House has filed legislation to make permanent the coverage for telehealth services under Medicare that was expanded during the recently ended Public Health Emergency.

The bill, Protecting Rural Telehealth Access Act is cosponsored by U.S. Rep. Chris Pappas (D-NH) and Republican Representatives Lisa McClain of Michigan, Jake LaTurner of Kansas, Marcus Molinaro of New York, Alex Mooney of West Virginia, and Zach Nunn of Iowa. A companion bill was filed the U.S. Senate by Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) in 2021.

If enacted, the bill would permanently expand telehealth services that were adopted during the coronavirus pandemic, including continuing to allow rural health clinics and Federally Qualified Health Centers to provide telehealth services, and expanding coverage of audio-only services for certain conditions.

"Access to quality healthcare should not be a luxury reserved for urban areas. Rural communities matter and deserve the same level of care and convenience," Molinaro says. "This bipartisan legislation makes permanent telehealth flexibilities that were originally implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic. In doing so, we will ensure Upstate New Yorkers have access to the care they need, regardless of their zip code."

Pappas says the expansion of telehealth under the PHE has greatly benefited his constituents, particularly those who live in rural areas.   

"Being able to access care virtually has ensured more people can receive the right care at the right time while saving them both time and money by eliminating transportation costs," Pappas says. "Making coverage of telehealth services permanent is a practical proposal that benefits patients and providers alike."

A 2022 policy paper by the National Rural Health Association notes that 77% of rural counties in the United States have a shortage of primary care clinicians, which adversely affects about 60 million people. The statistics are even worse for specialists.  

"It is imperative that Congress permanently extend the telehealth flexibilities enacted at the beginning of the COVID-19 public health emergency," NRHA says in the paper. "Coupling the continuation of flexibilities with investments in rural broadband is crucial to expanding access to care for rural patients."

The NRHA has also called on the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to evaluate clinical care outcomes for telehealth visits compared to in-person visits, and to allow flexibility and standardization within telehealth to ensure consistency post-PHE.

In addition to the National Rural Health Associate, the bill is supported by more than 20 stakeholder organizations, including the Alliance for Connected Care, the American Academy of Family Physicians, the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology, the American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology, America’s Essential Hospitals, the American Medical Group Association, the American Telemedicine Association, and the Medical Group Management Association.