COVID-19 telehealth flexibilities under Medicare would remain in place through 2024 under a new proposal that received overwhelming support from House lawmakers this week. It’s a step in the right direction for providers who expressed hope that lawmakers would follow through on earlier optimism.
The House passed the measure, titled the Advancing Telehealth Beyond COVID-19 Act, by a vote of 416-12 Wednesday to send it over to the Senate.
The proposal would make permanent several telehealth flexibilities under Medicare that were initially authorized during the COVID-19 public health emergency. Those include the removal of geographic restrictions and expanded services offered by qualified physicians and practitioners.
Congress earlier this year had voted to extend the telehealth waivers for 151 days after whenever the public health emergency is declared over.
Broader permissions for providers to use telehealth flexibilities were first announced in March 2020. Many skilled nursing operators say they have been vital for reducing obstacles to care during the pandemic. The waivers allow healthcare providers to be paid for a wider range of telehealth services, and permit nursing home beneficiaries to receive more telehealth services.
“There has been quite a bit of support in Congress for telehealth with many bills introduced and those bills garnering many co-sponsors. It’s good to see action on a telehealth bill a little earlier than we might have expected,” said Cynthia Morton, executive vice president of the National Association for the Support of Long Term Care.
She added that a vote in the Senate could be “dicey” given the lawmakers’ other priorities and the legislation’s ties to Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY), who is a leader of the Jan. 6 committee investigating the deadly attack on the Capitol when then-President Trump refused to concede the election.
“We are hopeful, though,” Morton told McKnight’s Long-Term Care News Thursday. “No doubt, this is a great step for Medicare beneficiaries to continue access to services and especially access to rehab therapy as the legislation specifically continues therapists’ ability to utilize telehealth — a high legislative priority for NASL. This is also a good bill that House members can take home and campaign on in the fall.”
