Representative Troy Balderson

Expanded Access to Telehealth Supports Rural Americans

Neighbor,

During the COVID-19 pandemic, expanded telehealth has provided countless Ohioans with alternative access to care. This innovative option is receiving praise from both patients and providers alike. Building on the overwhelming success of these services, the Administration yesterday announced a new executive order putting into motion several policies aimed at permanently expanding access to telehealth services for rural Americans, including:

Extending the availability of telehealth services beyond the national COVID-19 Public Health Emergency Declaration;
Increasing flexibility for rural health care providers, including reimbursements;
Investing in new health infrastructure, particularly for rural Americans who need broadband access; and
Implementing various other health priorities, such as increasing mental health services, reducing regulatory burdens on providers, addressing needs specific to rural communities, and combating maternal mortality.

Health care facilities serving patients in my district have experienced as high as 400% increases in overall telehealth utilization since March.

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I will continue to support the permanent expansion of telehealth—as well as the rural broadband infrastructure needed to access it—so Ohioans can continue to receive safer, convenient, more cost-effective access to care.

As public health officials took aggressive steps to control the spread of the virus early on by postponing elective procedures and reducing the strain on the overall health care system, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services greatly expanded access to telehealth services. Through waivers, loosened regulations, and new federal reimbursements, CMS enabled Americans to access health care from the comfort and safety of their own homes.

Access to care for all Americans is of the utmost importance – before, during, and after the current pandemic. Americans should not be shut out of care simply because there are no doctors available, no nurses nearby due to a provider shortage, no hospitals in their communities, or simply out of fear of exposure to disease.

Rural communities make up a significant portion of Ohio's 12^th Congressional District, and I am working to make sure these communities are not forgotten.

Sincerely,

Troy Balderson
Member of Congress

More on Troy Balderson's Efforts to Expand Availability of Telehealth and Broadband Needed to Access It:

Balderson’s Bipartisan Telehealth Expansion Legislation Introduced in Senate

Balderson: Prioritizing access to care: Keeping telehealth options for all Americans

Continuing Bipartisan Push to Expand Telehealth, Balderson Introduces KEEP Telehealth Options Act

Balderson: Online world closed off to rural Ohioans without broadband

Following Balderson Action, IRS Launches Hotline, Email to Support Americans Without Internet Access

New Guidelines to Expand Telehealth, Help Rural Communities Issued Following Balderson Bill

Championing Health Care Access, Balderson and Axne Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Expand Telehealth, Help Rural Communities

Balderson: COVID-19 Relief Must Include Flexibility for Rural Hospitals

Balderson Requests Full Funding for Rural Broadband Program

Expanded Access to Telehealth Supports Rural Americans

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