Centennial State News

Washington, D.C. — Colorado U.S. Senators Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper joined a bipartisan group of 60 senators to reintroduce the Creating Opportunities Now for Necessary and Effective Care Technologies (CONNECT) for Health Act. The legislation expands coverage of telehealth services and makes it easier for patients to connect with their doctors online.

“Telehealth services helped keep seniors, vulnerable patients, and health care workers safe during the pandemic – and they remain a vital resource for Americans living in rural and underserved communities,” said Bennet. “This bill will help expand access to telehealth services so Coloradans can access the care they need, wherever they need it.”

“In rural parts of Colorado, telehealth can be the literal difference between life and death,” said Hickenlooper. “This bill helps get doctors closer to the patients who need them most by making telehealth more flexible and accessible.”

The CONNECT for Health Act was first introduced in 2016 and is considered the most comprehensive legislation on telehealth in Congress. Since 2016, several provisions of the bill have been enacted into law or adopted by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). These include provisions to remove restrictions on telehealth services for mental health, stroke care, and home dialysis. Three provisions from the CONNECT for Health Act were also signed into law during the COVID-19 pandemic, making it much easier for patients to safely connect with their doctors.

Specifically, the 2023 CONNECT for Health Act would:

• Permanently remove all geographic restrictions on telehealth services and expand originating sites to include the home and other sites;
• Permanently allow health centers and rural health clinics to provide telehealth services;
• Allow more eligible health care professionals to utilize telehealth services;
• Remove unnecessary in-person visit requirements for telemental health services;
• Allow for the waiver of telehealth restrictions during public health emergencies; and
• Require more published data to learn more about how telehealth is being used, impacts of quality of care, and how it can be improved to support patients and health care providers.

Bennet has championed access to telehealth services over the last several years. In March 2022, he introduced legislation to authorize CMS payments for telehealth services for an additional two years beyond the Public Health Emergency. In June 2020, he introduced legislation expanding telemental health services in rural areas. In March 2020, Bennet led his colleagues in urging the Federal Communications Commission to increase subsidies to health care providers through the Rural Health Care Program to expand telehealth access during the pandemic.

The text of the bill is available HERE. 

Original source can be found here