Telehealth Modernization Act
Latest action · Feb 23, 2021 Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
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.
- IntroducedFeb 23, 2021
- Passed SenateNot reached
- Passed HouseNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Telehealth Modernization Act
This bill modifies requirements relating to coverage of telehealth services under Medicare.
Specifically, the bill extends certain flexibilities that were initially authorized during the public health emergency relating to COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019). Among other things, the bill allows (1) rural health clinics and federally qualified health centers to serve as the distant site (i.e., the location of the health care practitioner); (2) 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 (3) all types of practitioners to furnish telehealth services, as determined by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
Cosponsors 18
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Feb 23, 2021 to Dec 17, 2021; 6 are original cosponsors, there from the day it was introduced.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| D-HI | Brian Schatz | Original | Feb 23, 2021 |
| D-NH | Jeanne Shaheen | Original | Feb 23, 2021 |
| D-MT | Jon Tester | Original | Feb 23, 2021 |
| R-TN | Marsha Blackburn | Original | Feb 23, 2021 |
| R-MS | Roger F. Wicker | Original | Feb 23, 2021 |
| R-KS | Roger Marshall | Original | Feb 23, 2021 |
| I-ME | Angus S. King Jr. | Mar 10, 2021 | |
| R-NE | Ben Sasse | May 12, 2021 | |
| R-AK | Dan Sullivan | May 12, 2021 | |
| D-GA | Raphael G. Warnock | May 12, 2021 | |
| D-MN | Tina Smith | May 12, 2021 | |
| I-AZ | Kyrsten Sinema | Jul 12, 2021 | |
| R-AK | Lisa Murkowski | Jul 12, 2021 | |
| R-WY | Cynthia M. Lummis | Dec 17, 2021 | |
| R-AR | John Boozman | Dec 17, 2021 | |
| R-WV | Shelley Moore Capito | Dec 17, 2021 | |
| R-ME | Susan M. Collins | Dec 17, 2021 | |
| R-IN | Todd Young | Dec 17, 2021 |
Committees 1
Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.
| Chamber | Committee | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| Senate | Finance Committee | Referred Feb 23, 2021 |
Actions 2
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Feb 23, 2021Introduced in Senate
- Feb 23, 2021Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
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.
Printed hearings 5
Hearings whose printed record names this bill, newest first: hearings on it, and wider hearings where it came up.
| Number | Hearing | Committee | Held |
|---|---|---|---|
| S. Hrg. 117-727 | HEALTH INSURANCE COVERAGE IN AMERICA: CURRENT AND FUTURE ROLE OF FEDERAL PROGRAMS217 pages | Finance Committee | Oct 20, 2021 |
| S. Hrg. 117-546 | S. Hrg. 117-546 COVID 19 HEALTH CARE FLEXIBILITIES: PERSPECTIVES, EXPERIENCES, AND LESSONS LEARNED249 pages | Finance Committee | May 19, 2021 |
| S. Hrg. 117-178 | EXAMINING OUR COVID-19 RESPONSE: IMPROVING HEALTH EQUITY AND OUTCOMES BY ADDRESSING HEALTH DISPARITIES149 pages | Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee | Mar 25, 2021 |
| S. Hrg. 117-51 | COVID-19 ONE YEAR LATER: ADDRESSING HEALTH CARE NEEDS FOR AT-RISK AMERICANS74 pages | Aging (Special) Committee | Mar 18, 2021 |
| S. Hrg. 117-280 | A NATIONAL TRAGEDY: COVID-19 IN THE NATION'S NURSING HOMES279 pages | Finance Committee | Mar 17, 2021 |
Related bills 2
Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.
| Bill | Title | Relationship | Latest action |
|---|---|---|---|
| HR 1332 | Telehealth Modernization Act | Related bill | Feb 26, 2021 |
| HR 6000 | Cures 2.0 Act | Related bill | Jan 4, 2022 |
Titles 2
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- A bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to make permanent certain telehealth flexibilities under the Medicare program related to the COVID-19 public health emergency.
- Short Title(s) as Introduced
- Telehealth Modernization Act
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Health.
- Cardiovascular and respiratory health
- Digestive and metabolic diseases
- Emergency medical services and trauma care
- Health
- Health care coverage and access
- Health facilities and institutions
- Health personnel
- Health technology, devices, supplies
- Home and outpatient care
- Infectious and parasitic diseases
- Internet and video services
- Internet, web applications, social media
- Long-term, rehabilitative, and terminal care
- Medicare
- User charges and fees
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Feb 23, 2021Introduced in Senate
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.
