What They Are Saying: Ways and Means Legislation Protects Telehealth and Improves Health Care in Rural America

June 3, 2024 – Press Release
J.P. Freire
Tim Foster
Tate O’Connor
Dylan Chandler
(202) 225-3625

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Last month, the Ways and Means Committee approved legislation that begins to tackle the health care crisis facing rural and underserved communities. Rural Americans commonly face longer 9-1-1 wait times, health care workforce shortages, shuttered hospitals with another 600 on the verge of closing, and long drive times for routine appointments.

The package of bills approved by the Committee on Ways & Means addresses these challenges. The Committee voted to strengthen and expand coverage of telehealth and ambulance services for seniors, increase ambulance services in mountainous communities, stabilize the finances of struggling Critical Access Hospitals in rural areas, provide new lifelines to previously shuttered hospitals through the Rural Emergency Hospital designation, and address the shortage of nurse aides.

Many medical organizations and rural health care advocates echoed the importance of these policies and expressed strong support for these solutions.

National Rural Health Association (NRHA)

H.R. 8261 – Preserving Telehealth, Hospital, and Ambulance Access Act

Introduced by Rep. David Schweikert (AZ-01) and Rep. Mike Thompson (CA-04), H.R. 8261 protects and expands Medicare telehealth for two years, Hospital-at-Home flexibilities for five years, and Medicare supplemental payments for rural hospitals and ambulance services.

Alliance for Connected Care