July 21, 2020 - Issue: Vol. 166, No. 128 — Daily Edition116th Congress (2019 - 2020) - 2nd Session

[Page H3597]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 INCREASING ACCESS TO LOCAL TELEHEALTH

  (Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania asked and was given permission to 
address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Madam Speaker, I rise today to urge my 
colleagues to support the HEALTH Act. I am pleased to have introduced 
this bipartisan bill with the support of my cosponsor, Representative 
Butterfield from North Carolina.
  The HEALTH Act is a bipartisan effort to help increase access to 
local telehealth. The bill will codify Medicare reimbursement for 
community health centers and rural health clinics for telehealth 
services, cutting red tape and ensuring that these vital services are 
available to patients on a more permanent basis.
  As a lifetime resident of rural Pennsylvania, and having spent nearly 
three decades as a therapist and licensed nursing home administrator, I 
have been amazed at how telehealth services make life easier for rural 
and underserved communities, particularly for older Americans.
  Now more than ever, access to telehealth services has become a 
necessity in America. Medicare recipients are in need of these services 
without barriers and restrictions, and the HEALTH Act will improve 
access for the underserved.

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