New Bill Aims to Make Telehealth Coverage Permanent for FQHCs, RHCs
A bill introduced this week in the House would ensure Medicare coverage for telehealth services provided by FQHCs and RHCs and eliminate originating site facility and location requirements for distant site telehealth services.
- A bill introduced in Congress this week aims to improve telehealth coverage for federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) and rural health clinics (RHCs).
Introduced by US Reps. Glenn Thompson (R-PA) and George Butterfield (D-NC), the Helping to Ensure Access to Local TeleHealth (HEALTH) Act of 2020 would, if approved, mandate Medicare coverage for telehealth services at these clinics and remove originating site facility and location requirements for distant site telehealth services delivered by them.
The bill would make permanent connected health coverage included in the CARES Act, which only lasts as long as the COVID-19 emergency, and bring into the spotlight one of the most troubling barriers to widespread telehealth adoption.