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Senate & House Appropriators Reach Agreement on Resources to Contain, Treat COVID-19
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) today said the emergency funding package negotiated by congressional appropriators to combat the coronavirus includes a provision to ensure treatment options through telehealth technologies.
Hyde-Smith, a member of the Senate Telehealth Working Group, worked to add the Telehealth Services During Certain Emergency Periods Act of 2020 to the Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2020. Overall, the emergency supplemental funding package would provide $7.76 billion for Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) prevention, preparedness, and response efforts in the United States.
“The nation needs a strong and comprehensive response to confront the possibility of a broader coronavirus outbreak. The package before the Congress was worked out cooperatively with the Trump administration to meet this challenge,” said Hyde-Smith, who serves on the Senate Appropriations Committee and the subcommittee that funds federal health agencies.
“Telehealth offers the public and medical professionals with a useful and important care option. Protecting our seniors while still providing them with the care they need is critical during this public health emergency. It was important to ensure the availability of telehealth for Medicare beneficiaries as part of a comprehensive approach to this potential pandemic,” she said.
The Telehealth Services During Certain Emergency Periods Act of 2020, which is Division B of the supplemental appropriations bill, would allow the Secretary of Health and Human Services to waive certain requirements during the coronavirus public health emergency to ensure Medicare beneficiaries can receive the care they need at home without unnecessary potential exposure to COVID-19.
The House and Senate could vote this week on the emergency package, the bulk of which would go toward U.S. Department of Health and Human Services actions related to the coronavirus. A summary of the package is available here.
Last year, Hyde-Smith worked with Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) to introduce the CONNECT for Health Act, which would expand the use of telehealth. The Telehealth Services During Certain Emergency Periods Act of 2020 is based on Section 9 of the CONNECT for Health Act. Additionally, aspects of this legislation were incorporated into the President’s FY2021 budget request.
