New House, Senate bills aim to make telehealth expansion permanent in Medicare, Medicaid

Robert King | May 25, 2021

A pair of bills recently introduced in the House and Senate aim to ensure that a boom in telehealth use during the pandemic does not go away.

A House bill introduced Monday and a Senate bill introduced Tuesday both aim to make certain telehealth flexibilities permanent for Medicaid and Medicare beneficiaries.

“The pandemic has created challenges for everyone, but it’s also shown us that technology can provide safe and dependable communication between patients and their doctors,” said Rep. Jason Smith, R-Missouri, one of the co-sponsors of the House bill alongside Rep. Josh Gottenheimer, D-New Jersey. “Innovations including telehealth and audio-only capabilities will improve efficiency, reduce costs and increase access to healthcare providers.”

Source: Fierce Healthcare

https://www.fiercehealthcare.com/payer/new-house-senate-bills-aims-to-make-telehealth-expansion-permanent-medicare-medicaid