# 116-hr-7659: Ensuring Parity in MA for Audio-Only Telehealth Act of 2020

116-hr-7659, Ensuring Parity in MA for Audio-Only Telehealth Act of 2020, is a 116th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Sewell, Terri A. [D-AL-7] (D-AL); status Referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, and in addition to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned. (as of 2025-11-18).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/116-hr-7659
- As of: 2025-11-18
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 116-hr-7659
- Congress: 116
- Title: Ensuring Parity in MA for Audio-Only Telehealth Act of 2020
- Status: Referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, and in addition to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
- Introduced: 2020-07-16
- Sponsor: Rep. Sewell, Terri A. [D-AL-7] (D-AL)
- Cosponsors: 35
- Policy area: Health
- Touches household money: no
- Last recorded action: 2025-11-18

## Summary

Ensuring Parity in MA for Audio-Only Telehealth Act of 2020 This bill allows audio-only diagnoses that are made via telehealth to be used for purposes of determining risk adjustments to payments under Medicare Advantage. Additionally, the bill requires payments for Medicare telehealth services that are furnished during the public health emergency relating to COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) to be made in the same amounts as those for in-person services.

## Cosponsors (35)

- Rep. Fitzpatrick, Brian K. [R-PA-1] (R-PA), 2020-07-16T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Kelly, Mike [R-PA-16] (R-PA), 2020-07-29T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Evans, Dwight [D-PA-3] (D-PA), 2020-09-15T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Ferguson, A. Drew, IV [R-GA-3] (R-GA), 2020-09-15T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Keller, Fred [R-PA-12] (R-PA), 2020-09-29T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Balderson, Troy [R-OH-12] (R-OH), 2020-09-29T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Dean, Madeleine [D-PA-4] (D-PA), 2020-10-23T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Roe, David P. [R-TN-1] (R-TN), 2020-12-07T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Long, Billy [R-MO-7] (R-MO), 2020-12-07T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Mullin, Markwayne [R-OK-2] (R-OK), 2020-12-07T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Craig, Angie [D-MN-2] (D-MN), 2020-12-07T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Meuser, Daniel [R-PA-9] (R-PA), 2020-12-07T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Smith, Adrian [R-NE-3] (R-NE), 2020-12-15T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Bilirakis, Gus M. [R-FL-12] (R-FL), 2020-07-16T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Cárdenas, Tony [D-CA-29] (D-CA), 2020-07-16T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Walorski, Jackie [R-IN-2] (R-IN), 2020-07-16T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Kind, Ron [D-WI-3] (D-WI), 2020-07-16T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Smith, Jason [R-MO-8] (R-MO), 2020-07-16T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Brindisi, Anthony [D-NY-22] (D-NY), 2020-07-16T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Rouda, Harley [D-CA-48] (D-CA), 2020-07-29T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Houlahan, Chrissy [D-PA-6] (D-PA), 2020-09-15T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Joyce, John [R-PA-13] (R-PA), 2020-09-15T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Waltz, Michael [R-FL-6] (R-FL), 2020-09-29T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Thompson, Glenn [R-PA-15] (R-PA), 2020-10-23T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. O'Halleran, Tom [D-AZ-1] (D-AZ), 2020-10-23T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Perry, Scott [R-PA-10] (R-PA), 2020-10-23T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Smucker, Lloyd [R-PA-11] (R-PA), 2020-10-23T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Steube, W. Gregory [R-FL-17] (R-FL), 2020-10-23T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Scanlon, Mary Gay [D-PA-5] (D-PA), 2020-10-23T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Demings, Val Butler [D-FL-10] (D-FL), 2020-12-07T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Shalala, Donna E. [D-FL-27] (D-FL), 2020-12-07T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Crist, Charlie [D-FL-13] (D-FL), 2020-12-07T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Gibbs, Bob [R-OH-7] (R-OH), 2020-12-07T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Wasserman Schultz, Debbie [D-FL-25] (D-FL), 2020-12-15T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Spanberger, Abigail Davis [D-VA-7] (D-VA), 2020-12-15T00:00:00.000Z

## Related bills

- 116-hr-748: CARES Act
- 116-hr-4305: PAWS for Veterans Therapy Act
- 116-hr-2423: Women's Suffrage Centennial Commemorative Coin Act
- 116-hr-1570: Removing Barriers to Colorectal Cancer Screening Act of 2020
- 116-hr-943: Never Again Education Act
- 116-hr-8662: Accelerating Access to Critical Therapies for ALS Act

## Sources
- [116-hr-7659 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/7659)

## Related
- [116-hr-748: CARES Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/116-hr-748)
- [116-hr-4305: PAWS for Veterans Therapy Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/116-hr-4305)
- [116-hr-2423: Women's Suffrage Centennial Commemorative Coin Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/116-hr-2423)
- [116-hr-1570: Removing Barriers to Colorectal Cancer Screening Act of 2020](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/116-hr-1570)
- [116-hr-943: Never Again Education Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/116-hr-943)
- [116-hr-8662: Accelerating Access to Critical Therapies for ALS Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/116-hr-8662)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/116-hr-7659 (as of 2025-11-18).