COVID-19 Vaccine Access Expands; Proposed Bills Push to Increase Telehealth Availability

March 31, 2021 - President Biden exceeded his goal to deliver 100 million COVID-19 vaccines during his first 100 days in office, delivering 100 million vaccines in 58 days. Now, his administration is pushing to further broaden access and vaccinate even more Americans. And telehealth’s growth throughout the pandemic is shaping up to stay as several bills on the Hill promote increasing coverage and access to telehealth-related services.

HHS, CDC, ACL Partnership Increases Vaccine Access to Vulnerable Populations

The Biden administration announced a partnership between HHS, CDC, and the Administration for Community Living (ACL) to increase vaccination among older adults and individuals with disabilities. The partnership includes $5 million in funding for national hotlines to assist these populations in registering for vaccines and connecting them with services to get to vaccine appointments. An additional $93 million in grants will be allocated to aging and disability networks in every state to increase vaccination awareness. These services will include scheduling vaccine appointments, transportation to vaccination sites, in-home vaccinations, and vaccine education. READ MORE

Greater Vaccine Eligibility, Access

Following President Biden’s call to states to increase vaccine availability to the general public by May 1, he added another push to further eligibility. The announcement states by April 19, 90 percent of adults will be eligible to be vaccinated. Additionally, 90 percent will have access to a vaccination site within five miles of where they live, as 20,000 more pharmacies will be added to the federal pharmacy program. The announcement also promises additional mass vaccination sites. READ MORE

SAVE LIVES Act Expands Vaccine Access to Veterans and Spouses

On March 24, President Biden signed the Strengthening and Amplifying Vaccination Efforts to Locally Immunize All Veterans and Every Spouse (SAVE LIVES) Act. The Act expands those who can be vaccinated through the Veterans Affairs (VA) system of care to include non-enrolled veterans, overseas veterans, veteran caregivers, and veteran spouses. Expanding the VA’s authority over vaccination efforts and eligibility will open vaccine access to an additional 23.5 million people. READ MORE

Telehealth Laws Slated to Broaden Coverage

Several new bills in Congress promote expanded telehealth use and services. Here’s a breakdown of each:

• The Rural Health Behavioral Access Act aims to expand behavioral and mental health telehealth services in critical access hospitals. These organizations are largely in rural areas and several organizations including the National Rural Health Association have shown its support for the bill. READ MORE
• The Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act adds connected health and telehealth services to the list of strategies for substance abuse disorder treatment. The bill would allow providers to prescribe medications used in medication-assisted treatment (MAT) through audio-only telehealth visits and include telehealth as an option to monitor long-term treatment outcomes. READ MORE
• The Expanded Telehealth Access Act would give HHS the authority to expand the list of telehealth-covered services to include providers such as physical and occupational therapists, audiologists, and speech and language pathologists. READ MORE
• The Ensuring Parity in MA and PACE for Audio-Only Telehealth Act would establish payment parity for qualified diagnosis obtained through a non-video telehealth encounter. The bill advocates to reimburse providers for audio-only telehealth visits, improving access for individuals who cannot access video services due to costs or broadband connection challenges. READ MORE

Some of the proposed legislature were shot down last year but are re-introduced with hopes the momentum telehealth gained amid the coronavirus pandemic will push them into law.