S. 1261 · Where this bill is now
In committee
Introduced in the Senate, Apr 2, 2025
What this bill does
In plain words · AI-written from the official summaryExpands Medicare coverage for telehealth services
This bill makes it easier for Medicare beneficiaries to use telehealth—that is, getting care from a doctor or health professional through a video call or phone. The bill removes rules about where you need to be when you use telehealth, allowing you to get care from your home. It also lets more types of clinics provide telehealth services. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services would have to share information about how telehealth is working, help doctors learn the rules for offering it, and make sure telehealth meets quality standards.
How it affects you
If you're on Medicare, this could make it simpler to see a doctor from home without traveling. Rural patients and people in areas with fewer medical services might have more access to care. The bill doesn't directly affect people who aren't on Medicare.
Read the official summary (Introduced in Senate, Apr 2, 2025)
Creating Opportunities Now for Necessary and Effective Care Technologies (CONNECT) for Health Act of 2025 or the CONNECT for Health Act of 2025
This bill expands coverage of telehealth services under Medicare.
Among other provisions, the bill
• permanently removes geographic restrictions on originating sites (i.e., the location of the beneficiary) and allows the home of the beneficiary to serve as the originating site for all services;
• permanently allows federally qualified health centers and rural health clinics to serve as the distant site (i.e., the location of the health care practitioner); and
• allows the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to generally waive coverage restrictions during any public health emergency.
Additionally, the CMS must post certain information about the effects of Medicare telehealth services on its website, including information about utilization, costs, and the outcome of services. The CMS must also (1) provide resources to health care professionals about the requirements for furnishing telehealth services under Medicare, including with respect to payment, patient privacy, and support for underserved populations; and (2) ensure certain quality measures are applied to telehealth services.
Written by AI (Claude) using only the official summary by the Congressional Research Service, the Library of Congress’s nonpartisan research staff. It can miss nuance, so check the official summary and the bill text for details.
1st SessionS. 1261
A BILL
CONNECT for Health Act of 2025
Sponsor: Sen. Brian Schatz (D-HI) · Introduced Apr 2, 2025 · Health · 1 version of the text
Sources: Congress.gov actions and votes · bill text from GovInfo · latest official action Apr 2, 2025: “Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.”
Sections
Sections · 2
Title I — Removing barriers to telehealth coverage · 8
- Sec. 101Removing geographic requirements for telehealth servicesNo change
- Sec. 102Expanding originating sitesNo change
- Sec. 103Expanding authority for practitioners eligible to furnish telehealth servicesNo change
- Sec. 104Federally qualified health centers and rural health clinicsNo change
- Sec. 105Native American health facilitiesNo change
- Sec. 106Repeal of six-month in-person visit requirement for telemental health servicesNo change
- Sec. 107Waiver of telehealth requirements during public health emergenciesNo change
- Sec. 108Use of telehealth in recertification for hospice careNo change