Bipartisan-supported measure would affect 1.6 million Virginians on Medicare
RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — Telehealth use among Medicare patients during the COVID-19 pandemic was ten times higher when compared to pre-pandemic levels, according to the U.S Government Accountability Office.
That’s why Virginia Senator Tim Kaine wants to make it easier for the nearly 1.6 million Virginians on Medicare to access telehealth.
“It’s time to take what we have learned from the last three years and extend it,” Kaine said.
Kaine is co-sponsoring the Connect Act, which would extend the pandemic-era rules covering Medicare patients who access telehealth services from home.
It would also eliminate so-called “geographic restrictions” — meaning all people can access telehealth services, not just those outside of a metropolitan area or areas experiencing a healthcare provider shortage.
“What we found was when we eliminated the barriers to using telehealth and treated it equitably, the amount of telehealth skyrocketed,” Kaine said.
Prior to the pandemic, Medicare wouldn’t reimburse providers the same way they would during an in-person visit. Those regulations were relaxed when the pandemic began, Kaine wants to make those changes permanent.
“It’s also helpful for people in rural areas who live a long way away from providers, hospitals, doctors,” Kaine said. “Certain specialties, mental health — where we have too few providers. It was much easier to get access via telehealth than to find a provider in your community.”
Importantly, this bill would only affect the nearly 1.6 million Virginians on Medicare. State law already requires private health insurance companies to cover telehealth visits.
