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Representatives Debbie Dingell (D-MI) and Jack Bergman (R-MI) today reintroduced legislation to permanently extend telehealth flexibilities established during the COVID-19 pandemic, to make it easier for people to continue to access remote care many have come to depend on.

“Telehealth services are an essential part of our healthcare system. It is a fact that having to physically travel to a doctor’s office or hospital can present a serious barrier to care for seniors, people with disabilities, and people who live in rural areas that are far from a health care provider,” Dingell said. “Telehealth worked during COVID and should be available and more widely adopted. The Advancing Access to Telehealth Act ensures that services that people depend on for routine care aren’t taken away.”

“One of the few positive lessons learned from the COVID pandemic was just how impactful telehealth can be – especially for rural and remote communities," Bergman said. "It helped bring care directly to people who often have the fewest options. We should be doing everything we can to make sure our healthcare system keeps meeting people where they’re at, and I’m proud to co-lead the Advancing Access to Telehealth Act alongside Congresswoman Dingell.”

The Advancing Access to Telehealth Act permanently allows:

• rural health clinics and federally qualified health centers to serve as the distant site (i.e., the location of the health care practitioner);
• the home of a beneficiary to serve as the originating site (i.e., the location of the beneficiary) for all services (rather than for only certain services); and
• audiologists, physical therapists, occupational therapists, and speech-language pathologists to furnish telehealth services.

View the full text of the bill here.