What They Are Saying: Committee Hearing Adds to Momentum for Safeguarding Access to Virtual Care
E&C Lawmakers Highlight Critical Role of Telehealth and Need to Protect Patient Access
In case you missed it, last week on Wednesday, June 29, the U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health conducted a hearing on “Investing In Public Health: Legislation To Support Patients, Workers, And Research.” Throughout the hearing, members of Congress on both sides of the aisle repeatedly stressed the importance of safeguarding access to telehealth to protect patients and strengthen the health care system.
Read some of what lawmakers had to say during the hearing:
Committee on Energy and Commerce Chair Frank Pallone (D-NJ): “Other bills will establish a task force to study barriers to the adoption of telehealth technology in rural areas, promote positive healthy behaviors and outcomes for populations and medically underserved communities through the use of community health workers and reauthorize grants for trauma care to support the improvement of emergency medical services and trauma care readiness and coordination, again, particularly in rural areas.”
Committee on Energy and Commerce Ranking Member Cathy McMorris Rogers (R-WA): “The Rural Telehealth Access Task Force Act will create an inter-agency task force to help identify barriers to telehealth services in rural areas.”
Representative Annie Kuster (D-NH): “In my home district Lamprey Health Care in Nashua, New Hampshire uses a mobile van to meet patients where they are helping to remove barriers to establish primary care, provide behavioral health care and respond to COVID related concerns. Some days this means providing services to school children on site to ensure minimal disruption of their school day, and other times this means leveraging the unit and expanded telehealth flexibilities to connect patients with substance use disorder to proper support.”
Representative Larry Buschon (R-IN): “I do agree also that telemedicine gives us a potential opportunity to increase the diversity and clinical trials.”
Representative Doris Matsui (D-CA): “I do look forward to Congress advancing legislation that really supports leveraging telehealth in an equitable manner as a tool across the healthcare sector.”
Representative Angie Craig (D-MN): “Telehealth accessibility is an issue we can all agree should demand more federal attention.”
View the full hearing HERE.
Learn more about why protecting access to telehealth is critical for consumers HERE.
Learn more about how Congress can act to permanently protect telehealth access HERE.
ABOUT TELEHEALTH ACCESS FOR AMERICA
Telehealth Access for America (TAFA) is a public education campaign supported by leaders in health care committed to better care, expanded patient choice, and protecting access to critical telehealth services.
Learn more at www.telehealthaccessforamerica.org.