CONNECT for Health Act of 2025
- Sponsor
- Rep. Thompson, Mike [D-CA-4]
- Committees
- Ways and Means Committee (primary)
- Last action
- Jun 26, 2025
Bottom line
The CONNECT for Health Act of 2025 aims to make the pandemic-era expansion of Medicare telehealth services permanent, enhancing access to care while introducing measures to prevent fraud and improve quality.
What it actually does
This bill permanently expands access to telehealth services under Medicare by removing geographic restrictions, expanding eligible originating sites and practitioners, and ensuring Federally Qualified Health Centers and Rural Health Clinics can be reimbursed for telehealth. It also addresses program integrity through outlier billing pattern identification and provides resources for beneficiary engagement and provider support, making permanent many flexibilities introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Proponents argue
Proponents argue that telehealth has proven to be a critical component of care delivery, expanding access, improving quality, and potentially reducing spending, especially in areas with workforce shortages or for individuals with mobility barriers. They cite high patient satisfaction and the need for long-term certainty for providers and beneficiaries to fully integrate telehealth into healthcare delivery.
Opponents contend
While the bill enjoys bipartisan sponsorship, potential opponents or cautious stakeholders might raise concerns about the long-term fiscal impact of permanently expanded telehealth coverage, the potential for increased fraud and abuse without robust oversight, and ensuring equitable access and quality of care for all populations, particularly those with limited digital literacy or technology access.
The bill is moderately detailed, requiring a careful read to understand the specific amendments to the Social Security Act, but is generally accessible to an informed reader.
Sec. 101, amending Section 1834(m)(4)(C) of the Social Security Act
Permanent Removal of Geographic Requirements for Telehealth
This provision eliminates the requirement that Medicare beneficiaries must be located in a rural area to receive telehealth services, making this change permanent effective October 1, 2025. This allows beneficiaries in urban and suburban areas to access telehealth care.
Supporters argue
Supporters argue that this change is essential for ensuring equitable access to care, reflecting the success of pandemic-era waivers and addressing barriers for individuals with limited mobility or transportation, regardless of their geographic location.
Critics contend
While direct opposition is limited post-pandemic, some might express concerns about potential overutilization of telehealth or the need for in-person care in certain situations, though the bill includes program integrity measures to address such concerns.
Tradeoffs
The provision balances the desire for broad patient access and convenience against potential concerns about overutilization or the appropriateness of telehealth for all conditions.
Sec. 102, amending Section 1834(m)(4)(C)(iii) and 1834(m)(2)(B)(iii) of the Social Security Act
Permanent Expansion of Eligible Originating Sites
This section makes permanent the temporary expansion of eligible originating sites for telehealth services, effective from the date of enactment. This means Medicare beneficiaries can continue to receive telehealth services from their homes or other non-clinical settings, rather than being restricted to specific medical facilities.
Sec. 103, amending Section 1834(m)(4)(E) of the Social Security Act
Secretary's Authority to Expand Eligible Telehealth Practitioners
This provision grants the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) the authority to waive limitations on the types of practitioners eligible to furnish telehealth services, effective October 1, 2025, if deemed clinically appropriate. The Secretary must establish requirements, a public comment process, and periodically review these waivers to ensure ongoing clinical appropriateness.
Sec. 104, amending Section 1834(m) of the Social Security Act
Permanent Telehealth Reimbursement for FQHCs and RHCs
This section permanently allows Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) and Rural Health Clinics (RHCs) to be reimbursed for telehealth services when acting as distant sites, effective October 1, 2025. These services will be treated as outpatient services under their respective prospective payment systems, ensuring stable funding for these critical access points.
Sec. 105, amending Section 1834(m)(4)(C) and 1834(m)(2)(B)(i) of the Social Security Act
Originating Site Waiver for Native American Health Facilities
This provision exempts facilities of the Indian Health Service, tribal organizations, and Native Hawaiian health care systems from originating site requirements for telehealth services furnished on or after January 1, 2026. It also waives the originating site facility fee for these specific facilities, reducing administrative burden and expanding access for these communities.
Sec. 106, amending Section 1834(m)(7), 1834(y)(2), and 1834(o)(4)(B) of the Social Security Act
Permanent Repeal of In-Person Visit Requirement for Telemental Health Services
This section permanently repeals the requirement for an in-person visit within six months prior to receiving telemental health services, which was previously set to expire on October 1, 2025. This removes a significant barrier to accessing mental health care via telehealth.
Sec. 202
Additional Resources for Telehealth Oversight
This section authorizes an appropriation of $3,000,000 annually for fiscal years 2026 through 2030 to the Inspector General of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). These funds are designated for conducting audits, investigations, and other oversight and enforcement activities related to telehealth services, remote patient monitoring, and other technology-enabled services.
Sec. 203, amending Section 330I(j)(2) of the Public Health Service Act
Addressing Significant Outlier Billing Patterns for Telehealth Services
This section directs the Secretary of HHS to identify physicians and practitioners with significant outlier billing patterns for telehealth services (e.g., inappropriate length of time, inaccurate complexity, duplicate billing). These outliers will be notified and aggregate information will be made publicly available. Additionally, it amends the Public Health Service Act to require Telehealth Resource Centers to provide technical assistance and education to these outlier billers on appropriate coding, billing practices, and fraud prevention.
Sec. 301, amending Section 1834(m) of the Social Security Act and standalone study/report
Beneficiary Engagement and Accessibility Resources for Telehealth
This section mandates that the Secretary of HHS, in consultation with stakeholders, issue resources, guidance, and training sessions for beneficiaries, providers, and software vendors. These materials will focus on best practices for ensuring telehealth accessibility for individuals with limited English proficiency and disabilities, accounting for age, sociodemographic, geographic, literacy, cultural, cognitive, and linguistic differences. It also requires a study and report on strategies to improve beneficiary engagement, particularly in underserved communities.
Sec. 303, amending Section 1890A of the Social Security Act
Ensuring Inclusion of Telehealth in Quality of Care Measurement
This section directs the Secretary of HHS to review existing quality measures to ensure they include telehealth services, covering aspects like care, prevention, diagnosis, patient experience, health outcomes, and treatment. It mandates identifying gaps in telehealth-related quality measurement and assessing how to streamline implementation. The Secretary must also issue technical guidance on stratifying measures by care modality and population, using uniform data elements, and identifying best practices. A report to Congress is required within two years.
This provision creates a new exception (safe harbor) to federal fraud and abuse laws, specifically the civil monetary penalties for inducements to beneficiaries. It allows providers or suppliers to furnish certain technologies (as defined by the Secretary) directly to Medicare beneficiaries for telehealth, remote patient monitoring, or other technology-enabled services, provided the technologies are not offered as part of any advertisement or solicitation and meet other requirements set forth in regulations.
Sec. 201, amending Section 1128A(i)(6) of the Social Security Act
Why it matters:This is standard legislative practice for creating exceptions or safe harbors within complex regulatory frameworks like fraud and abuse laws. The precise legal drafting is necessary to define the scope and limitations of the exception.
Case for: Supporters argue that this safe harbor removes a significant legal ambiguity that has deterred providers from furnishing necessary technology to patients, thereby facilitating access to telehealth and remote monitoring services and promoting health equity.
Case against: Critics might argue that even with safeguards, creating exceptions to fraud and abuse laws always carries some risk of unintended exploitation, potentially leading to over-provision of technology or steering patients towards certain providers.
Estimated impact: Potentially significant, as it could unlock broader distribution of telehealth-enabling devices to millions of Medicare beneficiaries, reducing barriers to access for technology-dependent services.