CONNECT for Health Act of 2025
Sponsored By: Senator Schatz, Brian [D-HI]
Introduced
Summary
Expands Medicare telehealth access by removing location limits and updating how telehealth is paid and overseen. It would also strengthen program integrity, require provider and beneficiary supports, modernize quality measures, and publish telehealth data.
Show full summary
- Families, seniors, and underserved patients would gain broader access because the bill removes Medicare geographic and originating-site restrictions and lifts the six-month prior in-person rule for telemental health. It explicitly expands access for Indian Health Service and tribal facilities effective January 1, 2026.
- Providers and clinics would see payment and staffing changes because telehealth furnishing at Federally Qualified Health Centers and Rural Health Clinics would be folded into existing payment systems and the Secretary could waive practitioner-type limits starting October 1, 2025 with public notice and periodic review.
- Oversight, quality, and transparency would increase through a new fraud and advertising framework, outlier-billing thresholds with education and public reporting, dedicated HHS Office of Inspector General telehealth oversight funding through 2030, a quality-measure review within 180 days, and CMS quarterly public reporting of telehealth use and outcomes.
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
4 provisions identified: 2 benefits, 0 costs, 2 mixed.
Expanded Medicare telehealth access for seniors
If enacted, the bill would remove Medicare geographic and originating-site limits for telehealth starting October 1, 2025. If enacted, the Secretary could waive practitioner-type limits for telehealth starting October 1, 2025 when clinically appropriate. If enacted, the bill would repeal the six-month prior in-person rule for telemental health. If enacted, the bill would exempt IHS, tribal, and Native Hawaiian facilities from some originating-site rules starting January 1, 2026. If enacted, the bill would let certain 1135 emergency waivers apply during declared public health emergencies.
Stronger telehealth billing and fraud checks
If enacted, CMS would use claims and standard health IDs to find unusual telehealth billing and notify flagged providers with comparison data. If enacted, Telehealth Resource Centers would give training and technical help to providers flagged as outliers. If enacted, providers could not give telehealth technologies to Medicare patients as part of advertisements and must meet Secretary rules. If enacted, the bill would authorize $3,000,000 per year for FY2026–2030 for HHS OIG telehealth oversight, subject to future appropriations.
New payment rules for community clinics
If enacted, telehealth services furnished by FQHCs and RHCs would be treated as outpatient services and paid under their prospective payment systems starting October 1, 2025. If enacted, costs for furnishing telehealth by those clinics would be considered allowable costs under the payment rules. If enacted, Medicare would not pay certain originating-site facility fees for some narrowly described Native American sites, which could change payments to those facilities.
Telehealth training, accessibility, and reporting
If enacted, HHS must publish resources and guidance within six months to help people with limited English use telehealth. If enacted, HHS must publish guidance and training for telehealth access for people with disabilities, including captioning and interpreter use. If enacted, the bill would authorize 'such sums as necessary' for education and outreach, but Congress would have to appropriate funds before HHS could spend them.
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Schatz, Brian [D-HI]
HI • D
Cosponsors
Roger Wicker
MS • R
Sponsored 4/2/2025
Sen. Warner, Mark R. [D-VA]
VA • D
Sponsored 4/2/2025
Cindy Hyde-Smith
MS • R
Sponsored 4/2/2025
Peter Welch
VT • D
Sponsored 4/2/2025
Sen. Barrasso, John [R-WY]
WY • R
Sponsored 4/2/2025
Sen. Padilla, Alex [D-CA]
CA • D
Sponsored 4/2/2025
Sen. Thune, John [R-SD]
SD • R
Sponsored 4/2/2025
Sen. Smith, Tina [D-MN]
MN • D
Sponsored 4/2/2025
Sen. Lankford, James [R-OK]
OK • R
Sponsored 4/2/2025
Sen. Cantwell, Maria [D-WA]
WA • D
Sponsored 4/2/2025
Sen. Tuberville, Tommy [R-AL]
AL • R
Sponsored 4/2/2025
John Hickenlooper
CO • D
Sponsored 4/2/2025
Sen. Cotton, Tom [R-AR]
AR • R
Sponsored 4/2/2025
Amy Klobuchar
MN • D
Sponsored 4/2/2025
Dan Sullivan
AK • R
Sponsored 4/2/2025
Sen. Fetterman, John [D-PA]
PA • D
Sponsored 4/2/2025
Shelley Capito
WV • R
Sponsored 4/2/2025
Sen. Merkley, Jeff [D-OR]
OR • D
Sponsored 4/2/2025
Sen. Lummis, Cynthia M. [R-WY]
WY • R
Sponsored 4/2/2025
Sen. Kaine, Tim [D-VA]
VA • D
Sponsored 4/2/2025
Sen. Cramer, Kevin [R-ND]
ND • R
Sponsored 4/2/2025
Sen. Shaheen, Jeanne [D-NH]
NH • D
Sponsored 4/2/2025
Katie Britt
AL • R
Sponsored 4/2/2025
Sen. Gallego, Ruben [D-AZ]
AZ • D
Sponsored 4/2/2025
Sen. Moran, Jerry [R-KS]
KS • R
Sponsored 4/2/2025
Sen. Luján, Ben Ray [D-NM]
NM • D
Sponsored 4/2/2025
Sen. Cassidy, Bill [R-LA]
LA • R
Sponsored 4/2/2025
Sen. Blumenthal, Richard [D-CT]
CT • D
Sponsored 4/2/2025
Sen. Tillis, Thomas [R-NC]
NC • R
Sponsored 4/2/2025
Sen. King, Angus S., Jr. [I-ME]
ME • I
Sponsored 4/2/2025
Sen. Justice, James C. [R-WV]
WV • R
Sponsored 4/2/2025
Sen. Coons, Christopher A. [D-DE]
DE • D
Sponsored 4/2/2025
Sen. Schmitt, Eric [R-MO]
MO • R
Sponsored 4/2/2025
Sen. Whitehouse, Sheldon [D-RI]
RI • D
Sponsored 4/2/2025
Sen. Murkowski, Lisa [R-AK]
AK • R
Sponsored 4/2/2025
Sen. Rosen, Jacky [D-NV]
NV • D
Sponsored 4/2/2025
John Hoeven
ND • R
Sponsored 4/2/2025
Sen. Booker, Cory A. [D-NJ]
NJ • D
Sponsored 4/2/2025
Sen. Grassley, Chuck [R-IA]
IA • R
Sponsored 4/2/2025
Sen. Duckworth, Tammy [D-IL]
IL • D
Sponsored 4/2/2025
Mike Rounds
SD • R
Sponsored 4/2/2025
Sen. Sanders, Bernard [I-VT]
VT • I
Sponsored 4/2/2025
Sen. Marshall, Roger [R-KS]
KS • R
Sponsored 4/2/2025
Sen. Kelly, Mark [D-AZ]
AZ • D
Sponsored 4/2/2025
Sen. Fischer, Deb [R-NE]
NE • R
Sponsored 4/2/2025
Sen. Gillibrand, Kirsten E. [D-NY]
NY • D
Sponsored 4/2/2025
Sen. Young, Todd [R-IN]
IN • R
Sponsored 4/2/2025
Sen. Heinrich, Martin [D-NM]
NM • D
Sponsored 4/2/2025
Sen. Collins, Susan M. [R-ME]
ME • R
Sponsored 4/2/2025
Gary Peters
MI • D
Sponsored 4/2/2025
Sen. Ricketts, Pete [R-NE]
NE • R
Sponsored 4/2/2025
Sen. Schiff, Adam B. [D-CA]
CA • D
Sponsored 4/2/2025
Markwayne Mullin
OK • R
Sponsored 4/2/2025
Sen. Warren, Elizabeth [D-MA]
MA • D
Sponsored 4/2/2025
Sen. Graham, Lindsey [R-SC]
SC • R
Sponsored 4/2/2025
Sen. Van Hollen, Chris [D-MD]
MD • D
Sponsored 4/2/2025
Sen. Daines, Steve [R-MT]
MT • R
Sponsored 4/2/2025
Raphael Warnock
GA • D
Sponsored 4/2/2025
John Boozman
AR • R
Sponsored 4/2/2025
Sen. Bennet, Michael F. [D-CO]
CO • D
Sponsored 4/28/2025
Sen. Kennedy, John [R-LA]
LA • R
Sponsored 4/28/2025
Elissa Slotkin
MI • D
Sponsored 5/1/2025
Sen. Moreno, Bernie [R-OH]
OH • R
Sponsored 5/1/2025
Sen. Kim, Andy [D-NJ]
NJ • D
Sponsored 9/30/2025
Sen. Budd, Ted [R-NC]
NC • R
Sponsored 9/30/2025
Sen. Markey, Edward J. [D-MA]
MA • D
Sponsored 12/9/2025
Sen. Banks, Jim [R-IN]
IN • R
Sponsored 12/9/2025
Sen. Cortez Masto, Catherine [D-NV]
NV • D
Sponsored 12/15/2025
Sen. Sheehy, Tim [R-MT]
MT • R
Sponsored 12/15/2025
Sen. Murray, Patty [D-WA]
WA • D
Sponsored 1/29/2026
Sen. McConnell, Mitch [R-KY]
KY • R
Sponsored 1/29/2026
Sen. Alsobrooks, Angela D. [D-MD]
MD • D
Sponsored 3/12/2026
Sen. McCormick, David [R-PA]
PA • R
Sponsored 3/12/2026
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
View on Congress.gov