Bipartisan Lawmakers Revive Bill to Expand Telehealth Coverage

Politico Pro reports that a bipartisan group of legislators on Wednesday reintroduced the CONNECT for Health Act, a wide-sweeping measure that expands payment for telehealth services. Some provisions of the bill, originally introduced two years ago, made it into the 2018 Bipartisan Budget Act. They not only allow Medicare Advantage plans to offer telehealth coverage as a basic benefit, but also remove some geographic restrictions for telestroke and end-stage renal disease treatment. The update would remove geographic restrictions on payment for various services and would allow patients to get coverage for treatment they receive at home. The bill was unveiled by Sens. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.), Ben Cardin (D-Md.), and Rep. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) According to Wicker, the updated legislation reflects input that the Congressional Telehealth Caucus gathered from a recent request for information on telehealth expansion. The bill has support from such groups as the American Medical Association, the American Hospital Association, the American Telemedicine Association, and the Alliance for Connected Care.