Washington, D.C. – Today, Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet urged the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to immediately issue guidance necessary for Colorado to take advantage of the expanded Medicare telehealth services that were secured in the Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act signed into law earlier this month. The expanded telehealth options would enable older adults – who are particularly vulnerable to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) – to avoid unnecessary exposure to the virus and obtain health care from the safety of their own homes; yet, a delay in guidance has put a hold on these expanded services.
“Despite the urgency of this moment, your office has yet to provide any guidance related to this telehealth waiver authority. Colorado is home to roughly 800,000 seniors, nearly all of whom will benefit from clear, concise, and timely communications from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services,” wrote Bennet in his letter to CMS Administrator Seema Verma. “I urge you to provide guidance so that Coloradans can take advantage of telehealth services during this crisis.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention COVID-19 guidance for older adults is available HERE.
The text of the letter is available HERE and below.
Dear Administrator Verma:
I write to urge you to provide guidance regarding expanded telehealth services.
As you know, H.R. 6074, the Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act, became law on March 6. A key component provided waiver authority for expanded access to telehealth services for Medicare beneficiaries as we combat the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) epidemic. This authority allows the Secretary of Health and Human Services to waive originating site requirements for telehealth services in Medicare, and, subsequently, seniors can receive care from the comfort and safety of their homes. This crucial provision will help reduce the risk of exposure to COVID-19 for older adults—a population that is especially vulnerable to this virus—by reducing the need to unnecessarily travel in their communities during an outbreak.
Despite the urgency of this moment, your office has yet to provide any guidance related to this telehealth waiver authority. Colorado is home to roughly 800,000 seniors, nearly all of whom will benefit from clear, concise, and timely communications from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. I urge you to provide guidance so that Coloradans can take advantage of telehealth services during this crisis. I await your imminent response detailing how and when CMS will use this new waiver authority.
Thank you for your attention to this matter.
Sincerely,