Letter to Congress: Benefits of Digital Technologies to Health Care

Feb 07, 2018

 February 2, 2018

The Honorable Mitch McConnell
Majority Leader
U.S. Senate
Washington, DC 20510

 

The Honorable Chuck Schumer
Minority Leader
U.S. Senate
Washington, DC 20510

 

The Honorable Paul Ryan
Speaker of the House
U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515

 

The Honorable Nancy Pelosi
Minority Leader
U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515
 

Dear Leader McConnell, Leader Schumer, Speaker Ryan, and Leader Pelosi: 

 Digital health technology is transforming health care. Modernizing Medicare to ensure seniors and medical providers have access to these tools is an important priority. We urge you to include a package of bipartisan, bicameral legislation in the upcoming funding bill that would add telehealth and remote patient monitoring to the basic Medicare Advantage benefit, expand Medicare coverage for telestroke, and ease the restrictions on telemedicine to treat kidney patients in their homes.

 In addition to the significant body of evidence demonstrating that telehealth can reduce costs, improve outcomes and expand access to care for seniors, these provisions have already passed the Senate unanimously, and been approved by the House Ways and Means and Energy and Commerce Committees.   Now is the time to act to ensure that seniors are able to realize the benefits of digital technologies to manage their health care.  

Thank you.

Sincerely,
Alliance for Aging Research
Alliance for Community Health Plans
Alliance for Connected Care
Alzheimer’s Association of America
America’s Health Insurance Plans
America’s Physician Groups
American Heart Association
American Telemedicine Association
AMGA
Association of Behavioral Health and Wellness
Better Medicare Alliance
Connected Health Initiative
Healthcare Leadership Council
HIMSS
National Association of ACOs
National Health IT Collaborative for the Underserved
Personal Connected Health Alliance
Stanford Healthcare
The Evangelical Lutheran Good Samaritan Society
The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research

 

CC:    Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orin Hatch
Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden
House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Greg Walden
House Energy and Commerce Committee Ranking Member Frank Pallone
House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Kevin Brady
House Ways and Means Committee Ranking Member Richard Neal