House Passes Energy and Commerce Bills to Expand Access to Care and Promote Patient Health Outcomes

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Brett Guthrie (KY-02), Chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, and Congressman Morgan Griffith (VA-09), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Health, issued a statement following House passage of H.R. 3419, To amend the Public Health Service Act to reauthorize the telehealth network and telehealth resource centers grant programs; H.R. 2319, the Women and Lung Cancer Research and Preventive Services Act of 2025; and H.R. 2493, the Improving Care in Rural America Reauthorization Act of 2025.

“Today, Congress passed important pieces of legislation to bridge gaps for communities that historically face barriers to medical care,” said Chairman Guthrie. “All three of these bills share a primary focus on expanding health care access for rural and underserved populations. This work is a bigger part of Republicans’ efforts to strengthen public health infrastructure in our country, and I am grateful to my colleagues that championed these important pieces of legislation.”

“Congress is stepping up to the plate to deliver popular health care solutions for underserved populations, including rural communities,” said Chairman Griffith. “With House passage of these commonsense bills, we continue legislative progress that improves health care access, restores opportunities for treatment and promotes critical resources. I am proud to have led the Health Subcommittee in advancing policies that will help Make America Healthy Again!”

Background:

H.R. 3419, To amend the Public Health Service Act to reauthorize the telehealth network and telehealth resource centers grant programs, reauthorizes key grant programs—namely, the Telehealth Network Grant Program and the Telehealth Resource Centers—to continue critical support and strengthens the telehealth infrastructure that Americans rely on.

H.R. 2319, the Women and Lung Cancer Research and Preventive Services Act of 2025, strengthens and advances ongoing and emerging research opportunities to reduce the burden of lung cancer mortality.

This bipartisan bill requires an interagency review between the Department of Health and Human Services and the Departments of War and Veterans Affairs to determine the current research landscape and identify new areas of research to explore.

H.R. 2493, the Improving Care in Rural America Reauthorization Act of 2025, reauthorizes grant programs that utilize integrated health care networks to help connect patients to high quality of care.