Herrera Beutler joins effort to boost telehealth in Southwest Washington

CENTRALIA—Congresswoman Jaime Herrera Beutler, R-Battle Ground, has co-sponsored bipartisan, bicameral legislation to expand telehealth access for Southwest Washington seniors and residents on Medicare.

“As our Southwest Washington communities battled COVID over the past year, it’s become increasingly evident that seniors, rural residents and others can be well-served by telehealth medicine,” Herrera Beutler said in a press release.

“For folks living in remote and rural communities especially, access to telehealth can make a world of difference to access quick, convenient care. That’s why I’m joining the effort in Congress to ensure folks across Southwest Washington have the ability to access medical services via telehealth if that works best for them.”

The legislation, titled the Creating Opportunities Now for Necessary and Effective Care Technologies, or CONNECT, for Health Act of 2021, includes the following provisions:

• Permanently removes all geographic restrictions on telehealth services and expands originating sites to include the home and other sites.
• Allows federally qualified health centers and rural health clinics to provide telehealth services.
• Provides the secretary of health and human services with the permanent authority to waive telehealth restrictions.
• Allows for the waiver of telehealth restrictions during public health emergencies.
• Requires a study to learn more about how telehealth has been used during the current COVID-19 pandemic.