On April 10, 2024, the Health Subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee held a hearing to examine several pieces of telehealth-related legislationopens in new window, including the APA Services-supported Telemental Health Care Access Act (H.R. 3432) and the connect for Health Act (H.R. 4189). Prior to this hearing, APA Services submitted a letter to the subcommittee highlighting the importance of continuing current telehealth-related flexibilities (PDF, 174KB)opens in new window, including the ability for individuals to receive behavioral health services from their own homes via telehealth. The letter also calls for Congress to repeal the Medicare in-person service requirement for telemental health services, which is currently scheduled to go into effect after the end of 2024. The letter also reaffirms the association’s support for H.R. 3432 and H.R. 4189 and calls on Congress to act before the end of the year.
While the hearing largely focused on telehealth as a means of accessing medical care, not behavioral health care, some witnesses and members expressed some degree of support for a mandatory periodic in-person service requirement as a means of curbing fraud, waste, and abuse in the Medicare system. APA Services will continue to advocate that such a requirement only serves as an unnecessary and arbitrary barrier to accessing necessary treatment. Further hearings and legislative markups are expected throughout the summer, although congressional action on legislation is not expected until late in the year.
For more information, contact Andrew Strickland.