Of the 31 changes federal policymakers have enacted so far to ease access to virtual care, senators wondered: How many should be made permanent?
ince the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, federal policymakers have enacted 31 changes to enable greater access to telehealth. In a hearing this week, members of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions asked how many of those changes should be made permanent – and how to make sure the most vulnerable won’t get left behind.
“Today we have the opportunity to consider how we can deploy telehealth to expand access to healthcare for everyone,” said Sen. Tina Smith, D-Minn.
Smith called attention to the nationwide calls for action sparked by the police killing of her constituent, George Floyd, and urged her colleagues to consider how telehealth can be a vehicle for health equity.
