HEALTH Act of 2021
Latest action · Jul 19, 2021 Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
Progress
Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.
- IntroducedJul 16, 2021
- Passed HouseNot reached
- Passed SenateNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Helping Ensure Access to Local TeleHealth Act of 2021 or the HEALTH Act of 2021
This bill modifies requirements relating to Medicare coverage of telehealth services, including services that are furnished by federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) and rural health clinics (RHCs).
Specifically, the bill expands coverage to include audio-only telehealth services. It also permanently allows FQHCs and RHCs to serve as the distant site (i.e., the location of the health care practitioner) for telehealth services and excludes such services from certain geographic restrictions. Payment must be made in the same manner as for non-telehealth services, rather than in accordance with a separate methodology determined by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
Cosponsors 19
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Jul 16, 2021 to Sep 22, 2022; 1 is an original cosponsor, there from the day it was introduced.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| D-NC | G. K. Butterfield | Original | Jul 16, 2021 |
| R-PA | Brian K. Fitzpatrick | Aug 3, 2021 | |
| D-CO | Jason Crow | Aug 6, 2021 | |
| D-TN | Steve Cohen | Aug 23, 2021 | |
| R-IA | Ashley Hinson | Sep 17, 2021 | |
| D-CA | Josh Harder | Sep 17, 2021 | |
| R-WV | David B. McKinley | Nov 9, 2021 | |
| R-NE | Don Bacon | Nov 16, 2021 | |
| D-NC | Kathy E. Manning | Dec 2, 2021 | |
| D-CA | Barbara Lee | Dec 20, 2021 | |
| D-CO | Joe Neguse | Jan 3, 2022 | |
| D-CT | Jahana Hayes | Jan 25, 2022 | |
| D-DC | Eleanor Holmes Norton | Mar 2, 2022 | |
| D-NC | Deborah K. Ross | Mar 29, 2022 | |
| D-CA | Karen Bass | Apr 7, 2022 | |
| D-NH | Ann M. Kuster | Jun 21, 2022 | |
| D-CA | Nanette Diaz Barragán | Jul 21, 2022 | |
| D-NJ | Josh Gottheimer | Aug 26, 2022 | |
| R-FL | Kat Cammack | Sep 22, 2022 |
Committees 2
Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.
| Chamber | Committee | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| House | Energy and Commerce Committee | Referred Jul 16, 2021 |
| Health Subcommittee | Referred Jul 19, 2021 | |
| House | Ways and Means Committee | Referred Jul 16, 2021 |
| Health Subcommittee | Referred Jul 16, 2021 |
Actions 4
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Jul 19, 2021Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
- Jul 16, 2021Introduced in House
- Jul 16, 2021Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on Ways and Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
- Jul 16, 2021Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
Research
What has been written about this bill: committee reports, cost estimates, the sponsor’s authority statement, printed hearings and the Congressional Research Service’s work.
Constitutional authority
The sponsor’s statement, as printed in the Congressional Record, vol. 167, no. 125, July 16, 2021, page H3633.
Printed hearings 2
Hearings whose printed record names this bill, newest first: hearings on it, and wider hearings where it came up.
| Number | Hearing | Committee | Held |
|---|---|---|---|
| Serial No. 117-42 | EXAMINING THE POLICIES AND PRIORITIES OF THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES175 pages | Education and Workforce Committee | Apr 6, 2022 |
| S. Hrg. 117-720 | NOMINATIONS TO THE FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION, THE FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION, AND THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE186 pages | Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee | Nov 17, 2021 |
Related bills 1
Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.
| Bill | Title | Relationship | Latest action |
|---|---|---|---|
| HR 5611 | HEALTH Act of 2023 | Reintroduced Bill | Dec 17, 2024 |
Titles 3
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for permanent payments for telehealth services furnished by Federally qualified health centers and rural health clinics under the Medicare program.
- Short Title(s) as Introduced
- HEALTH Act of 2021
- Helping Ensure Access to Local TeleHealth Act of 2021
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Health.
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Jul 16, 2021Introduced in House
Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov; cost estimates are the Congressional Budget Office's, and the hearings are the printed hearings GovInfo publishes, which can appear months after the hearing.
