Washington, D.C. –In Energy and Commerce Committee Republican Leader Greg Walden’s (R-OR) district in Oregon, there are areas that average less than one person per square mile. For these areas in Oregon – and the more than 55 million Americans who call their rural community “home,” – telehealth can play an important role in increasing access to health care, especially as we’ve seen more than 100 rural hospital closures over the last decade.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Trump administration has peeled back Medicare regulations around telehealth to allow beneficiaries to have more virtual care options. This is particularly beneficial for this high-risk population during the pandemic, as it helps them maintain preventative care without having to go into a provider’s office, potentially exposing them to patients who are unwell. This week President Trump, through his Executive Order, made it clear that telehealth services for rural communities are here to stay.
This Executive Order directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to determine which of telehealth flexibilities should stay after the COVID-19 public health emergency is over. Use of telehealth services by beneficiaries has risen greatly. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and HHS found that there were nearly 1.7 million telehealth visits the last week of this April, an exponential increase from the about 14,000 visits before the public health emergency. Walden, who championed telehealth in the COVID-19 emergency supplemental, has said there should be a high bar to put the telehealth regulations that were waived during COVID-19 back in place.
President Trump has also asked federal agencies, including the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), to strategize how to upgrade health care communications infrastructure to improve health care in rural areas. The FCC has already started work in this space by approving a number of grants to distribute the $200 million provided for the COVID-19 Telehealth Program in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.
In Congress, there is much bipartisan work being done to expand access to telehealth services. For example, E&C recently advanced a telehealth mental health bill to the full House. The Telemental Health Expansion Act of 2019 would expand access to mental health options through telehealth services, something we know is critically important during the pandemic. Additionally, Walden and Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee Chairman Roger Wicker (R-MS) have included telehealth in their Broadband Connectivity and Digital Equity Framework.
Working together, Congress and the Trump administration will ensure telehealth will continue to be an important tool to access health care services.