,i #aafth ,,congress #b;d ,session ,h4 ,r4 #gffc ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,july #af1 #bjbj,mr4 ,thompson of ,california 7for himself1 ,ms4 ,matsui1 ,mr4 ,johnson of ,ohio1 ,mr4 ,schweikert1 and ,mr4 ,welch7 introduced the following bill2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,energy and ,commerce1 and in addition to the ,committee on ,ways and ,means1 for a period to be subsequently determined by the ,speaker1 in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned ,a ,,bill ,to amend title ,,xi of the ,social ,security ,act to authorize the ,secretary of ,health and ,human ,services to waive or modify application of ,medicare requirements with respect to telehealth services during any emergency period1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,protecting ,access to ,post-,,covid-#ai ,telehealth ,act of #bjbj4 #b4 ,authorization for the ,secretary of ,health and ,human ,services to waive or modify application of ,medicare requirements with respect to telehealth services 7a7 ,secretarial authority to temporarily waive or modify ,medicare requirements with respect to telehealth services furnished during any emergency period ,section #aace of the ,social ,security ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #acbj;b-#e7 is amended by adding at the end the following new subsection3 7h7 ,waiver or modification of certain requirements with respect to telehealth services 7#a7 ,in general ,notwithstanding any other provision of this section1 during the period described paragraph 7#b71 the ,secretary may waive or modify any requirement with respect to a telehealth service payable under section #ahcd7m77#a7 for such period4 7#b7 ,period described ,for purposes of paragraph 7#a71 the period described in this paragraph is the period-- 7,a7 beginning on the first day of-- 7i7 an emergency or disaster declared by the ,president pursuant to the ,national ,emergencies ,act or the ,robert ,t4 ,stafford ,disaster ,relief and ,emergency ,assistance ,act2 or 7ii7 a public health emergency declared by the ,secretary pursuant to section #cai of the ,public ,health ,service ,act2 and 7,b7 ending on the day that is #ij days after the last day of an emergency1 disaster1 or public health emergency described in subparagraph 7,a74 4 7b7 ,report 7#a7 ,in general ,not later than #ahj days after the last day of the period described in section #aace7;g77#a77;,b7 of the ,social ,security ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #acbj;b-#e7;g77#a77;,b771 the ,secretary of ,health and ,human ,services1 acting through the ,administrator of the ,centers for ,medicare ,medicaid ,services1 shall submit to ,congress a report1 with respect to telehealth services 7as defined in subparagraph 7,f7 of such section #ahcd7m77#d7 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #aciem7m77#d77 to which a waiver or modification is applied pursuant to section #aace of such ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #acbj;b-#e71 on-- 7,a7 the number of eligible telehealth individuals 7as defined in subparagraph 7,a7 of section #ahcd7m77#d7 of such ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #aciem7m77#d77 during the period described in paragraph 7#b7 and how frequently such individuals received telehealth services during such period 7including the number of eligible telehealth individuals identified by racial and ethnic populations72 7,b7 the number of physicians or practitioners that furnished a telehealth service during the period described in paragraph 7#b7 and how frequently physicians or practitioners furnished such a service during such period2 7,c7 the amount payable under title ,,xviii of such ,act for telehealth services furnished during the period described in paragraph 7#b72 7,d7 an assessment of benefits to eligible telehealth individuals who received telehealth services during the period described in paragraph 7#b72 and 7,e7 the most common barriers to eligible telehealth individuals receiving and physicians or practitioners furnishing telehealth services during the period described in paragraph 7#b74 7#b7 ,period described ,for purposes of paragraph 7#a71 the period described in this paragraph is the period-- 7,a7 beginning on the first day of the emergency period described in section #aace7;g77#a77;,b7 of such ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #acbj;b-#e7;g77#a77;,b72 and 7,b7 ending on the day that is #ij days after the last day such emergency period4 #c4 ,rural health clinics and federally qualified health centers 7a7 ,expansion of distant sites ,section #ahcd7m7 of the ,social ,security ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #aciem7m77 is amended-- 7#a7 in the first sentence of paragraph 7#a7-- 7,a7 by striking or a practitioner 7described in section #ahdb7;b77#ah77;,c77 and inserting 1 a practitioner 7described in section #ahdb7;b77#ah77;,c771 a federally qualified health center1 or a rural health clinic2 and 7,b7 by striking or practitioner and inserting 1 practitioner1 federally qualified health center1 or rural health clinic2 7#b7 in paragraph 7#b77;,a7-- 7,a7 by inserting or to a federally qualified health center or rural health clinic that serves as a distant site after a distant site2 and 7,b7 by striking such physician or practitioner and inserting such physician1 practitioner1 federally qualified health center1 or rural health clinic2 and 7#c7 in paragraph 7#d7-- 7,a7 in subparagraph 7,a71 by inserting and includes a federally qualified health center or rural health clinic that furnishes a telehealth service to an eligible individual before the period at the end2 and 7,b7 in subparagraph 7,f71 by adding at the end the following new clause3 7iii7 ,inclusion of rural health clinic services and federally qualified health center services furnished using telehealth ,for purposes of this subparagraph1 the term telehealth services includes a rural health clinic service or federally qualified health center service that is furnished using telehealth to the extent that payment codes corresponding to services identified by the ,secretary under clause 7i7 or 7ii7 are listed on the corresponding claim for such rural health clinic service or ,federally qualified health center service4 4 7b7 ,effective date ,the amendments made by this section shall apply to services furnished on or after ,january #a1 #bjba4 #d4 ,elimination of restrictions relating to telehealth services 7a7 ,elimination of geographic restrictions of originating sites ,section #ahcd7m77#d77;,c77i7 of the ,social ,security ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #aciem7m77#d77;,c77i77 is amended-- 7#a7 by striking the service is furnished via a telecommunications system and only if such site is located-- and inserting the service--2 7#b7 by redesignating subclauses 7,i7 through 7,,iii7 as items 7aa7 through 7cc71 respectively1 and moving the margins two ems to the right2 and 7#c7 by inserting before item 7aa71 as redesignated by paragraph 7#b71 the following new subclauses3 7,i7 is furnished via a telecommunications system2 and 7,,ii7 for the period beginning on the date of the enactment of this subclause and ending on ,december #ca1 #bjbj1 only if such site is located-- 4 7b7 ,elimination of restrictions in which telehealth services may be furnished in the home ,section #ahcd7m77#d77;,c77ii77,x7 of the ,social ,security ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #aciem7m77#d77;,c77i77,x7 is amended to read as follows34 7,x7 7aa7 ,for the period beginning on the date of the enactment of this subclause and ending on ,december #ca1 #bjbj1 the home of an individual but only for purposes of section #ahha7;b77#c77;,b7 or telehealth services described in paragraph 7#g74 7bb7 ,for the period beginning on or after ,january #a1 #bjba1 the home of an individual4 4