Murphy, Burgess, Herrell Introduce Bill to Permanently Expand Access to Telehealth Services for Rural America
Washington, D.C.– Tonight, Rep. Greg Murphy, M.D. (NC-03) was proud to vote YES on a crucial bipartisan telehealth expansion package which passed the House by a vote of 416-12. Among many provisions, legislation included a measure to extend telehealth services for Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) and Rural Health Clinics (RHCs) by two years.
In response to the temporary two-year telehealth extension, Reps. Greg Murphy, M.D. (NC-03), Yvette Herrell (NV-02) and Michael C. Burgess, M.D. (TX-26) introduced a measureto permanently codify these telehealth services for FQHCs and RHCs. While the two-year extension was important, it did not go nearly far enough.
"In my rural Eastern North Carolina district, access to telehealth is paramount – especially given today's record-high gas prices and ever-increasing inflation,"said Rep. Murphy."If there is anywhere in America where we should absolutely codify these telehealth policies, it's in our rural communities. I hope my colleagues will support our commonsense bill which will permanently expand telehealth services to countless Americans across our nation."
"Through telehealth, Americans are able to take care of immediate and necessary health needs at home without the costs or health risks associated with in-person appointments," said Rep. Burgess. "Telehealth is the start of future innovation in technology that will further influence how we deliver care to American patients. I am honored to join my friends Congressman Greg Murphy and Congresswoman Yvette Herrell to ensure that all Americans continue to have access to telehealth flexibilities, especially in our rural and underserved areas."
"By providing immediate access to essential healthcare services for New Mexicans and millions of American patients, particularly in rural and underserved communities, telehealth has revolutionized our healthcare system to meet Americans' unique healthcare needs," said Rep. Herrell. "I am proud to work together to make the extension of telehealth services for Federally Qualified Health Clinics and Rural Health Clinics permanent."
"We applaud Dr. Greg Murphy for recognizing that telehealth expands access and reduces barriers to care for Medicare patients, particularly patients facing challenges with access to transportation, work and family schedules, and travel times," said Chris Shank, President and CEO of the North Carolina Community Health Center Association. "By establishing permanent Medicare coverage for telehealth services provided by Federally Qualified Health Centers and Rural Health Clinics, this bill will ensure that patients can continue to access high-quality care from their homes long after the Covid public health emergency ends."
"We commend Congressman Burgess, Congressman Murphy, and Congresswoman Herrell for taking the steps to establish a clear post-pandemic strategy with this proposed legislation for continued access to medical services through telehealth for Medicare recipients, specifically those who receive care at federally qualified health centers," said Jana Eubank, executive director, Texas Association of Community Health Centers. "We look forward to working with Congress and the administration to promote patients' access to safe, quality care through telehealth, ensuring patients don't slip through the cracks at the end of the COVID 19 public health emergency."
Read the bill text HERE.
Background: Americans relied heavily on telehealth services during the pandemic, when the average national weekly telehealth users skyrocketed from 13,000 to 1.7 million.
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