Last week, the U.S. House overwhelmingly passed U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney’s, R-Wy., “Advancing Telehealth Beyond COVID-19 Act.”
The bill extends Medicare coverage of telehealth services through the end of 2024.
The House passed the measure on a 416-12 vote. U.S. Rep. Dan Webster, R-Fla., was the only member of the Florida delegation to vote against the proposal. U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Texas, was the only Democrat to vote against it.
Cheney weighed in after the vote and praised U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Mich., for her help on getting it passed.
“Because many of our citizens in Wyoming live hours and hundreds of miles away from their closest medical provider, we have long known how important it is for citizens to be able to take advantage of telehealth services in order to interact with their doctors and health care providers,” Cheney said. “This legislation, which I have been proud to work on for over two years, will expand telehealth capabilities by removing geographic requirements. It also expands originating sites so Medicare beneficiaries have better access to care, can obtain care from more practitioners, and can receive audio-only telehealth.
“I’m pleased to have worked with Rep. Dingell and other colleagues on both sides of the aisle in advancing this legislation through the House and look forward to the Senate passing this bill as well so it can become law and allow more Americans to utilize telehealth services,” Cheney said.
U.S. Rep. Lois Frankel, D-Fla., said the bill will also help seniors in Florida.
“Since the start of the pandemic, telehealth has become a valuable option to many people in our community, especially older adults and individuals with disabilities who may not always be able to make the trip to a doctor’s office,” said Frankel. “I’m proud to support this bill to ensure medical professionals have as many tools as possible to keep their communities healthy and safe.”
The bill now heads to the U.S. Senate.
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