ACT NOW
Urge your Members of Congress to Remove Barriers to Telehealth Services
The CONNECT for Health Act (S. 1261/H.R. 4206)
The Telemental Health Care Access Act (S. 2011/H.R. 3884)
The Behavioral Health Accessibility Act (H.R.1867)
Congress passed pandemic-era Medicare telehealth flexibilities through December 2027 via the Appropriations process. While we appreciate the longer-term extension, we are concerned that Congress will wait to act until the 11th hour. If that happens, social workers and their clients will be scrambling to make sure that their therapeutic relationship is maintained. We need your advocacy to ensure that older adults and individuals with disabilities can continue to access telehealth services permanently.
Now is the time to contact your members of Congress. Three pieces of bipartisan legislation look to remove barriers to telehealth services.
The CONNECT for Health Act would make permanent telehealth flexibilities in Medicare that were expanded during the Public Health Emergency. The CONNECT for Health Act would:
- Permanently remove all geographic restrictions on telehealth services and expand originating sites to the location of the patient, including homes;
- Permanently allow health centers and rural health clinics to provide telehealth services;
- Allow more eligible health care professionals to utilize telehealth services;
- Remove unnecessary in-person visit requirements for telemental health services;
- Allow for the waiver of telehealth restrictions during public health emergencies; and
- Require more published data to learn more about how telehealth is being used, impacts on quality of care, and how it can be improved to support patients and health care providers.
The Telemental Health Care Access Act and the Behavioral Health Accessibility Act are focused solely on removing the unnecessary in-person visit requirements for telemental health services. Both bills would accomplish the goal of permanently removing the problematic requirement that Medicare beneficiaries be seen in person as a prerequisite to receiving telemental health services. The problematic requirement also requires Medicare beneficiaries to have an in-person visit annually thereafter.
Mental health conditions remain the top telehealth diagnosis since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, rising from 34% to 67% of diagnoses. If Congress does not act before December 31, 2027, Medicare will require that beneficiaries have an in-person visit within the last 6 months prior to accessing telemental health care, irrespective of whether this visit is feasible, desired, or warranted. This requirement only applies to telemental health care as opposed to physical health, thereby perpetuating inequities in accessing these desperately needed services. We need your help to urge Congress to act to permanently remove this requirement.
The CONNECT for Health Act, the Telemental Health Care Access Act, and the Behavioral Health Accessibility Act will increase access to telemental health care services for Medicare beneficiaries by permanently removing the 6-month in-person requirement and subsequent 12-month in-person requirement.
Contact your Senators and Representative TODAY and urge them to co-sponsor the CONNECT for Health Act, the Telemental Health Care Access Act, and the Behavioral Health Accessibility Act. Help them understand the mental health needs of Medicare beneficiaries in your community and why this requirement creates unnecessary burdens and barriers to care. Personalized communication goes a long way with a member of Congress.