Senators Brian Schatz (D-HI) and Roger Wicker (R-MS) led more than 60 bipartisan Senators in the reintroduction of the Creating Opportunities Now for Necessary and Effective Care Technologies (CONNECT) for Health Act of 2023 on June 15.  LeadingAge joined multiple stakeholders to provide input on this legislation prior to its introduction in both the previous and current Congresses. In December 2022, several provisions from the last version of this bill were incorporated into the year-end government funding package that temporarily extended access to expanded telehealth services through 2024. The updated CONNECT for Health Act of 2023 would build on that by expanding coverage of telehealth services through Medicare and making permanent COVID-19 telehealth flexibilities. 

Among other provisions, the bill would:

• Permanently remove all geographic restrictions on telehealth services and expand originating sites to include the home and other sites;
• Allow more eligible health care professionals to utilize telehealth services;
• Remove unnecessary in-person visit requirement for telemental health services;
• Permanently extends the authority for the hospice face to face recertification to take place via telehealth; and
• Allow for the waiver of telehealth restrictions during public health emergencies.

Companion legislation has been introduced in the House by Representatives Mike Thompson (D-CA), Doris Matsui (D-CA), David Schweikert (R-AZ), and Bill Johnson (R-OH).

A summary of the bill and the full list of endorsing organizations, including LeadingAge, are available here.