Expanded Telehealth Access Act
Sponsored By: Senator Steve Daines
Introduced
Summary
Would expand Medicare telehealth payment eligibility to more allied health professionals and assistants. The bill would let Medicare pay qualified audiologists, occupational and physical therapists and their assistants, speech-language pathologists, and certain facilities for services delivered by telehealth.
Show full summary
- Medicare enrollees would have broader access to therapy and audiology care by telehealth, including speech, occupational, and physical therapy.
- Qualified audiologists, occupational therapists, physical therapists, and speech-language pathologists and supervised assistants would be eligible for Medicare payment for telehealth services. The bill clarifies that assistants at distant sites can be paid and that the payment amount would equal what Medicare would have paid for that assistant.
- Facilities that furnish services described in section 1833(a) paragraphs (8) or (9) could receive Medicare payment when those services are provided via telehealth, and the Secretary could add other enrolled providers or suppliers.
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
1 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.
More Medicare telehealth for therapists and audiologists
If enacted, this bill would let more types of providers bill Medicare for telehealth. Qualified audiologists, speech-language pathologists, and qualified occupational and physical therapists would be added to the telehealth "practitioner" list for services furnished on or after the date of enactment. Occupational therapy assistants and physical therapist assistants would be paid when they provide distant-site telehealth under a qualified therapist's supervision, and Medicare would pay the assistant the same amount that would have been paid for the distant-site service. The Secretary could also add other enrolled providers or suppliers, and certain facilities would count when they furnish listed services by telehealth.
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Steve Daines
MT • R
Cosponsors
Tina Smith
MN • D
Sponsored 2/11/2026
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
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