[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 168 (Wednesday, October 23, 2019)]
[House]
[Page H8393]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              TELEMEDICINE

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Pennsylvania (Mr. Thompson) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to discuss 
the importance of telemedicine.
  Recently, I had the pleasure of participating in a roundtable 
discussion at Saint Francis University in Cambria County, Pennsylvania. 
Representatives from the university, Better Care America, University of 
Pittsburgh Medical Center, and Highmark, among others, gathered to 
share their expertise on telemedicine and its impact on rural health.
  Telemedicine is an incredibly important tool for millions of 
Americans, but particularly for those who live in rural communities. 
With telemedicine, we can increase access to care for those who live 
far away from a doctor's office or hospital.
  Of course, this benefit extends beyond rural communities. 
Telemedicine is crucial in ensuring older Americans and those with 
limited mobility are able to access quality medical care by eliminating 
roadblocks like finding transportation to a doctor's appointment. By 
increasing convenience and flexibility for patients, it encourages 
individuals to take a more proactive approach in managing their health.
  Telemedicine can also have a positive impact on the health and well-
being of our veterans. Their sacrifice and willingness to dedicate 
their lives to serve our country is a debt that we can never truly 
repay. The least we can do, however, is to ensure that they have access 
to quality healthcare. This includes mental health.
  Many of our men and women in uniform are suffering privately with 
post-traumatic stress, depression, anxiety, brain injuries, and more. 
The Department of Veterans Affairs estimates that roughly 20 veterans 
commit suicide a day. We must do our part to prevent tragedies like 
this from happening.
  That is why I introduced H.R. 2123, the Veterans E-Health and 
Telemedicine Support Act--or the VETS Act, as we call it--in 2017, 
alongside Congresswoman Julia Brownley. This bipartisan legislation 
reduces barriers for veterans seeking healthcare by removing burdensome 
location requirements, increasing access to care regardless of where 
the healthcare professional or the patient is located.
  Prior to the VETS Act's enactment, VA doctors could only provide 
telehealth services across State lines if both the veteran and the 
doctor were located in Federal facilities. Undoing this restriction was 
successful under the VETS Act's adoption, and it is just one way that 
we can improve access to telehealth for millions of veterans 
nationwide.

  Prior to the VETS Act, we were able to do that successfully a number 
of years ago with the STEP Act, the Servicemembers' Telemedicine and E-
Health Portability Act, and it did the same thing for 1.1 million 
American heroes who are members of our Active-Duty military, Reserve, 
and Guard. The act lifted those same bureaucratic barriers to expand 
better access through telemedicine.
  Through innovation and bipartisan support, we can continue to 
strengthen telemedicine care for all Americans.

                          ____________________