Senator Reverend Warnock, Colleagues Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Expand Telehealth Access, Make Permanent Telehealth Flexibilities

The bipartisan CONNECT For Health Act expands Medicare's telehealth flexibility, ensuring Georgia seniors can more easily access health care, connect with their doctors

Current telehealth flexibilities are set to expire in September without congressional action

Senator Reverend Warnock has long supported efforts to expand telehealth services, especially in rural communities

Senator Reverend Warnock: "So many Georgian seniors, especially in rural communities, benefited from new telehealth programs that allowed seniors to talk to their doctor online or over the phone. […] The bipartisan and common sense CONNECT For Health Act builds on that progress by continuing to offer people the telehealth they need"

Washington, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-GA) joined Senators Brian Schatz (D-HI), Roger Wicker (R-MS) in introducing bipartisan CONNECT For Health Act to improve and expand telehealth services for seniors on Medicaid.

The comprehensive telehealth bill will expand coverage of telehealth services through Medicare, make COVID-19 telehealth flexibilities permanent, improve health outcomes, and make it easier for patients to connect with their doctors. The current telehealth flexibilities are set to expire on September 30 unless Congress extends them.

"So many Georgian seniors, especially in rural communities, benefited from new telehealth programs that allowed seniors to talk to their doctor online or over the phone. Congress needs to keep those programs from expiring. The bipartisan and common sense CONNECT For Health Act builds on that progress by continuing to offer people the telehealth they need," said Senator Reverend Warnock.

The CONNECT for Health Act would:

• Permanently remove all geographic restrictions on telehealth services and expand originating sites to the location of the patient, including homes;
• Permanently allow health centers and rural health clinics to provide telehealth services;
• Allow more eligible health care professionals to utilize telehealth services;
• Remove unnecessary in-person visit requirement for telemental health services;
• Allow for the waiver of telehealth restrictions during public health emergencies; and
• Require more published data to learn more about how telehealth is being used, impacts of quality of care, and how it can be improved to support patients and health care providers.

Senator Reverend Warnock has long supported efforts to expand telehealth services, especially in rural Georgia communities. In 2023, Senator Warnock announced a slate of new federal grants that help build a more sustainable rural health care system for Georgians by expanding telehealth services.

The CONNECT for Health Act was first introduced in 2016 and is considered the most comprehensive legislation on telehealth in Congress. Since 2016, several provisions of the bill have been enacted into law or adopted by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, including provisions to remove restrictions on telehealth services for mental health, stroke care, and home dialysis.

The CONNECT for Health Act has the support of more than 150 organizations including the American Medical Association, AARP, American Hospital Association, National Association of Community Health Centers, National Association of Rural Health Clinics, and American Telemedicine Association.

The full text of the bill is available HERE.

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