Lawmakers introduce bill to expand telehealth

Reps. Anna Eshoo (D-Calif.) and Don Young (R-Alaska) introduced legislation Friday to boost telehealth services amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The Healthcare Broadband Expansion During COVID-19 Act would infuse $2 billion into the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) rural health care program to expand remote treatment options and ensure high quality internet connection at health care facilities.

Health care adapts to coronavirus: Telehealth services help doctors work with patients diagnosed with COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, without putting themselves at risk.

It also helps providers care for high-risk patients who might contract the disease if forced to leave their homes to visit doctors.

“The coronavirus has only increased the need for high-quality and reliable internet connectivity as healthcare is increasingly delivered through telehealth and healthcare professionals depend on broadband for every aspect of their operations,” Eshoo said in a statement.

“The Healthcare Broadband Expansion During COVID-19 Act takes crucially needed steps to ensure that healthcare providers in Alaska and across the country have the internet access they need to keep our communities safe,” Young added.

The FCC’s Healthcare Connect Fund Program currently subsidizes 65 percent of the cost of broadband for eligible public and nonprofit rural health care facilities, while the new legislation would boost the subsidy rate to 85 percent. It would also streamline some administrative requirements to receiving the subsidies.