A new House bill introduced on Dec. 30 that would expand telehealth services in Medicare and Medicaid programs has garnered the support of the American Telemedicine Association.
The Telehealth Promotion Act of 2012 (H.R. 6719), sponsored by Rep. Mike Thompson (D-Calif.), would increase federal support and payments for telehealth services nationwide.
The bill would establish a federal reimbursement policy, wherein "no [medical] benefit covered shall be excluded solely because it is furnished via a telecommunications system." If passed, the bill would increase access to telemedicine within Medicare, Medicaid, the Children's Health Insurance Program, TRICARE, federal employee health plans and the Department of Veterans Affairs.
In addition to removing coverage restrictions to telemedicine, the bill would provide a new federal standard for medical licensure, officials add. Consistent with legislation already passed by Congress for military healthcare, providers in all federal health plans would only need to be licensed in the state of their physical location and would be free to treat eligible patients anywhere in the nation.
"This is a major step forward in Congressional support for telemedicine and would extend the benefits of telehealth and mHealth to nearly 75 million Americans," said Jonathan Linkous, chief executive officer of the American Telemedicine Association. "Representative Thompson clearly understands that telemedicine is a value - for patients, for the government and for the American taxpayer. We encourage other legislators to support this win-win bill, which will improve healthcare and decrease federal health expenditures."
The bill also proposes a series of improvements to existing Medicare and Medicaid programs, all of which would significantly augment the role and impact of telemedicine, according to bill proponents.
"This bill represents a panacea for federal involvement in telemedicine, eliminating archaic barriers and expanding opportunities for remote healthcare. If passed, this bill will almost instantly make our federally-funded health system more effective and more efficient," said Linkous.
Although proponents of the bill claim it should reduce federal expenditures in the long run, there are other members of Congress who argue that this is not the time to allocate expenditures.
"The federal government has a spending problem that has led to a $16 trillion national debt that threatens our country's future," said House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) in a Jan.1 press release.
The bill has been referred to a House subcommittee.
