{"id":41557,"date":"2023-06-16T09:36:55","date_gmt":"2023-06-16T13:36:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mtelehealth.com\/?p=41557"},"modified":"2023-06-16T09:36:55","modified_gmt":"2023-06-16T13:36:55","slug":"connect-act-offers-another-shot-at-permanent-telehealth-freedoms","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/drmiltie.com\/at-home-testing\/connect-act-offers-another-shot-at-permanent-telehealth-freedoms\/","title":{"rendered":"CONNECT ACT OFFERS ANOTHER SHOT AT PERMANENT TELEHEALTH FREEDOMS"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n

The CONNECT For Health Act has been filed again in both the Senate and House, and supporters say the groundswell for expanded telehealth coverage and services could finally give the bill the momentum it needs for passage.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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KEY TAKEAWAYS<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The CONNECT for Health Act, first introduced in 2016, aims to expand oportunities and coverage for telehealth through Medicare.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is the fifth time the bill has appeared before Congress, and telehealth advocates say the lessons learned from the pandemic and broad support for telehealth expansion could compel the bill across the finish line this time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The bill would eliminate geographic restrictions and in-person exam requirements, expand who can use telehealth, and require more studies on telehealth’s value.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A bill that aims to improve and expand Medicare coverage for telehealth is back for a fifth time before Congress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The CONNECT for Health Act of 2023<\/a>, filed this week by US Senators Roger Wicker (R-Mississippi), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Mississippi), and Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), continues a lengthy campaign by telehealth advocates to address the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ restrictive rules around who can use telehealth and what services are reimbursable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A companion bill\u00a0has been introduced in the House<\/a>\u00a0by US Reps. Mike Thompson (D-California), Doris Matsui (D-California), David Schweikert (R-Arizona), and Bill Johnson (R-Ohio).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As proposed this year<\/a>, the bill would:<\/p>\n\n\n\n