WASHINGTON—In response to the 2024 presidential election results, the American Telemedicine Association (ATA), a nonprofit organization seeking to promote access to medical care via telecommunications technology, and ATA Action, the ATA affiliated trade organization, issued the following statement regarding the potential future of the telehealth industry.
“President-elect Trump and his administration were strong proponents of telehealth during his first stay in the White House, creating important policy flexibilities that allowed for immediate and appropriate access to virtual care services early in the COVID-19 pandemic, for which we are grateful,” said Kyle Zebley, senior VP of public policy of ATA and executive director of ATA Action. “We are looking forward to working with Trump administration to ensure that access to needed care continues to be available to all Americans, and that telehealth services become a permanent part of health care delivery in our country.
“Our thanks to the Biden-Harris administration, which also demonstrated unwavering support for telehealth over the past four years. It is our sincere hope that Congressional leaders on both sides of the aisle act swiftly to advance a bill extending telehealth flexibilities and get it to President Biden’s desk for signature before year-end. We cannot understate the urgency of extending these flexibilities in order to avoid interrupting needed and often life-saving care for millions of patients.”
The specific legislative priorities that support appropriate telehealth utilization include:
- Bipartisan Telehealth Modernization Act of 2024 (HR 7623, S 3967) and the Connect for Health Act (HR 4189, S 2016): Aims to extending many Medicare telehealth flexibilities through the end of calendar year 2026.
- Telehealth Expansion Act (S 1001, HR 1843): Seeks to permanently allow individuals with high deductible health plans to access telehealth services before meeting their deductible.
- Medicare Telehealth Privacy Act of 2023 (HR 6364): Intends to ensure the privacy of providers by keeping their home addresses confidential.
- Telehealth Benefit Expansion for Workers Act of 2023 (HR 824): Aims to permanently classify telehealth as an excepted benefit and enhance access for workers.
The companies said they hope the extension of remote prescribing flexibilities for controlled substances beyond year-end will provide additional time to develop a viable long-term regulatory framework.
“Telehealth has received unprecedented bipartisan and bicameral support, spanning administrations from both parties, which we expect to continue,” Zebley said. “The ATA and ATA Action remains committed to working with our federal government policymakers to ensure that legislation needed to expand access to virtual care services is enacted as quickly as possible. It is essential that we give patients and health care providers certainty in the availability of digital health tools that have proven to be safe, effective and widely accepted as a part of a modernized health care delivery system.”
