119-hr2639

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2639 Introduced in House

    (IH) ]

<DOC>

119th CONGRESS
 1st Session
 H. R. 2639

 To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to make permanent 
 certain telehealth flexibilities under the Medicare program for 
 telehealth services furnished by Indian health programs.

_______________________________________________________________________

 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

 April 3, 2025

 Ms. Leger Fernandez (for herself, Ms. Stansbury, Mr. Ruiz, Mr. 
 Obernolte, and Ms. Norton) introduced the following bill; which was 
 referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to 
 the Committee on Ways and Means, for a period to be subsequently 
 determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such 
 provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

 A BILL

 To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to make permanent 
 certain telehealth flexibilities under the Medicare program for 
 telehealth services furnished by Indian health programs.

 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

 This Act may be cited as the ``Telehealth Access for Tribal 
Communities Act of 2025''.

SEC. 2. MAKING PERMANENT CERTAIN TELEHEALTH FLEXIBILITIES UNDER THE 
 MEDICARE PROGRAM FOR TELEHEALTH SERVICES FURNISHED BY 
 INDIAN HEALTH PROGRAMS.

 

Section 1834
            (m) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395m
            (m) ) is 
amended--

    (1) in paragraph

    (4)
            (C) 
            (iii) --
        (A) by striking ``In the case'' and inserting the 
 following:
 ``
            (I) In general.--In the case''; 
 and
        (B) by adding at the end the following new 
 subclause:
 ``
            (II) Special rule for services 
 furnished by indian health programs.--
 With respect to telehealth services 
 identified in subparagraph
        (F)
            (i) as of 
 the date of the enactment of this 
 clause furnished on or after April 1, 
 2025, by an Indian health program (as 
 defined in 

section 4 of the Indian 
 Health Care Improvement Act) or by an 
 urban Indian organization (as so 
 defined), or by a physician or 
 practitioner employed by or under 
 contract with such a program or 
 organization, to an eligible telehealth 
 individual, the term `originating site' 
 means any site in the United States at 
 which the eligible telehealth 
 individual is located at the time the 
 service is furnished via a 
 telecommunications system, including 
 the home of an individual.''; and

    (2) in paragraph

    (9) --
        (A) by striking ``In the case'' and inserting the 
 following:
 ``
        (A) In general.--In the case''; and
        (B) by adding at the end the following new 
 subparagraph:
 ``
        (B) Special rule for services furnished by indian 
 health programs.--The Secretary shall provide coverage 
 and payment under this part for telehealth services 
 identified in subparagraph
        (F)
            (i) as of the date of the 
 enactment of this paragraph that are furnished on or 
 after April 1, 2025, via an audio-only communications 
 system by an Indian health program (as defined in 
 

section 4 of the Indian Health Care Improvement Act) or 
 by an urban Indian organization (as so defined), or by 
 a physician or practitioner employed by or under 
 contract with such a program or organization, to an 
 eligible telehealth individual. For purposes of the 
 previous sentence, the term `telehealth service' means 
 a telehealth service identified as of the date of the 
 enactment of this paragraph by a HCPCS code (and any 
 succeeding codes) for which the Secretary has not 
 applied the requirements of paragraph

    (1) and the first 
 sentence of 

section 410.78

    (a)

    (3) of title 42, Code of 
 Federal Regulations, during the emergency period 
 described in subparagraph
        (A) .''.
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