The Senate has reintroduced a bill that would expand coverage of telehealth services through Medicare and make COVID-19 telehealth flexibilities more permanent.
The legislation, titled the CONNECT for Health Act, was reintroduced by 60 senators, according to a June 15 news release from Sen. Roger Wicker's office.
The legislation would do four key things for providers and patients. First, it would permanently remove all geographic restrictions on telehealth services. Second, it would allow all health centers and rural health clinics to provide telehealth services.
Third, it would remove in-person requirements for those seeking mental health treatment via telehealth, and fourth, it would allow for an easy waiver of telehealth restrictions during public health emergencies.
The legislation was first introduced in 2016, and since then several of its original provisions have been enacted into law or adopted by CMS, according to a June 21 article on the American Medical Association website. A piece of companion legislation has been introduced in the House.