WASHINGTON — A House subcommittee on Thursday advanced legislation that would extend some pandemic-era telehealth policies in Medicare for two years, bringing the panel’s approach in line with another committee.
During the pandemic, Congress extended flexibilities that changed what kinds of care Medicare beneficiaries could receive over telehealth and where. Originally, the House Energy and Commerce health subcommittee had considered a bill that would have enacted the policies permanently, but amended the legislation Thursday to pare it down to a two-year extension. The bill passed to the full committee unanimously on a 21-0 vote.
The approach is in line with that of another panel, the House Ways and Means Committee, which passed a two-year extension earlier this month. Both bills include similar provisions that would pay for the extension in part through reforms to the way in which pharmacy middlemen operate.
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