I 

116TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 8156 

To extend certain provisions relating to telehealth services, and for other 

purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

SEPTEMBER 1, 2020 

Mr. WILLIAMS introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, and in addition to the Committee on Energy 

and Commerce, 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 extend certain provisions relating to telehealth services, 

and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Ensuring Telehealth 

5 Expansion Act of 2020’’. 

6 SEC. 2. EXTENSION OF CERTAIN PROVISIONS RELATING TO 

7 TELEHEALTH SERVICES. 

8 (a) EXEMPTION FOR TELEHEALTH SERVICES.— 


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1 (1) IN GENERAL.—Subparagraph (E) of section 

2 223(c)(2) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 is 

3 amended by striking ‘‘December 31, 2021’’ and in4 serting ‘‘December 31, 2025’’. 

5 (2) CERTAIN COVERAGE DISREGARDED.— 

6 Clause (ii) of section 223(c)(1)(B) of the Internal 

7 Revenue Code of 1986 is amended by striking ‘‘De8 cember 31, 2021’’ and inserting ‘‘December 31, 

9 2025’’. 

10 (3) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made 

11 by this subsection shall take effect on the date of the 

12 enactment of this Act. 

13 (b) INCREASING MEDICARE TELEHEALTH FLEXI14 BILITIES DURING LIMITED PERIOD.—Section 1135(b)(8) 

15 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1320b–5(b)(8)) is 

16 amended by striking ‘‘during any portion of any emer17 gency period’’ and inserting ‘‘during any portion of the 

18 period beginning on the first day of the emergency period 

19 described in subsection (g)(1)(B) and ending on December 

20 31, 2025’’. 

21 (c) ENHANCING MEDICARE TELEHEALTH SERVICES

22 FOR FEDERALLY QUALIFIED HEALTH CENTERS AND

23 RURAL HEALTH CLINICS DURING LIMITED PERIOD; 

24 ELIMINATING SPECIAL PAYMENT RULE FOR SUCH SERV25 ICES.— 


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1 (1) IN GENERAL.—Paragraph (8) of section 

2 1834(m) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 

3 1395m(m)) is amended to read as follows: 

4 ‘‘(8) ENHANCING TELEHEALTH SERVICES FOR

5 FEDERALLY QUALIFIED HEALTH CENTERS AND

6 RURAL HEALTH CLINICS DURING LIMITED PE7 RIOD.—During the period beginning on the first day 

8 of the emergency period described in section 

9 1135(g)(1)(B) and ending on December 31, 2025— 

10 ‘‘(A) the Secretary shall pay for telehealth 

11 services that are furnished via a telecommuni12 cations system by a Federally qualified health 

13 center or a rural health clinic to an eligible tele14 health individual enrolled under this part not15 withstanding that the Federally qualified health 

16 center or rural clinic providing the telehealth 

17 service is not at the same location as the bene18 ficiary; and 

19 ‘‘(B) for purposes of this subsection— 

20 ‘‘(i) the term ‘distant site’ includes a 

21 Federally qualified health center or rural 

22 health clinic that furnishes a telehealth 

23 service to an eligible telehealth individual; 

24 and 


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1 ‘‘(ii) the term ‘telehealth services’ in2 cludes a rural health clinic service or Fed3 erally qualified health center service that is 

4 furnished using telehealth to the extent 

5 that payment codes corresponding to serv6 ices identified by the Secretary under 

7 clause (i) or (ii) of paragraph (4)(F) are 

8 listed on the corresponding claim for such 

9 rural health clinic service or Federally 

10 qualified health center service.’’. 

11 (2) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Section 

12 1834(m)(2)(A) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 

13 1395m(m)(2)(A)) is amended by striking ‘‘Subject 

14 to paragraph (8), the’’ and inserting ‘‘The’’. 

15 (3) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made 

16 by this subsection shall take effect as if included in 

17 the enactment of the CARES Act (Public Law 116– 

18 136). 

19 (d) TEMPORARY WAIVER OF REQUIREMENTS FOR

20 FACE-TO-FACE VISITS BETWEEN HOME DIALYSIS PA21 TIENTS AND PHYSICIANS.—Section 1881(b)(3)(B)(iii) of 

22 the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395rr(b)(3)(B)(iii)) 

23 is amended by striking ‘‘during the emergency period de24 scribed in section 1135(g)(1)(B)’’ and inserting ‘‘during 

25 the period beginning on the first day of the emergency 


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1 period described in section 1135(g)(1)(B) and ending on 

2 December 31, 2025’’. 

3 (e) USE OF TELEHEALTH TO CONDUCT FACE-TO4 FACE ENCOUNTER PRIOR TO RECERTIFICATION OF ELI5 GIBILITY FOR HOSPICE CARE DURING LIMITED PE6 RIOD.—Section 1814(a)(7)(D)(i)(II) of the Social Security 

7 Act (42 U.S.C. 1395f(a)(7)(D)(i)(II)) is amended by 

8 striking ‘‘during the emergency period described in section 

9 1135(g)(1)(B)’’ and inserting ‘‘during the period begin10 ning on the first day of the emergency period described 

11 in section 1135(g)(1)(B) and ending on December 31, 

12 2025’’. 

13 (f) ENCOURAGING USE OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS

14 SYSTEMS FOR HOME HEALTH SERVICES FURNISHED

15 DURING LIMITED PERIOD.—Section 3707 of the CARES 

16 Act (Public Law 116–136) is amended by striking ‘‘during 

17 the emergency period described in section 1135(g)(1)(B) 

18 of such Act (42 U.S.C. 1320b–5(g)(1)(B))’’ and inserting 

19 ‘‘during the period beginning on the first day of the emer20 gency period described in section 1135(g)(1)(B) of such 

21 Act (42 U.S.C. 1320b–5(g)(1)(B)) and ending on Decem22 ber 31, 2025’’. 


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1 SEC. 3. TEMPORARY NONAPPLICATION OF ORIGINATING 

2 SITE REQUIREMENTS WITH RESPECT TO 

3 TELEHEALTH SERVICES UNDER MEDICARE 

4 PROGRAM. 

5 Section 1834(m)(4)(C) of the Social Security Act (42 

6 U.S.C. 1395m(m)(4)(C)) is amended— 

7 (1) in clause (i), by inserting before ‘‘para8 graphs (5), (6), and (7)’’ the following: ‘‘clause (iii) 

9 and’’; and 

10 (2) by adding at the end the following new 

11 clause: 

12 ‘‘(iii) TEMPORARY NONAPPLICATION

13 OF ORIGINATING SITE REQUIREMENTS.— 

14 For the period beginning on the first day 

15 of the emergency period described in sec16 tion 1135(g)(1)(B) and ending on Decem17 ber 31, 2025, the term ‘originating site’ 

18 means any site at which the eligible tele19 health individual is located at the time the 

20 service is furnished via a telecommuni21 cations system.’’. 

22 SEC. 4. REPORT BY COMPTROLLER GENERAL. 

23 The Comptroller General of the United States shall 

24 submit to Congress— 

25 (1) not later than December 31, 2023, a report 

26 on the success and limitations of implementing the 


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1 statutory provisions amended by sections 2 and 3, 

2 including— 

3 (A) details of any savings or costs to the 

4 Federal Government that are attributable to the 

5 implementation of such provisions; and 

6 (B) an analysis of how the implementation 

7 of such provisions have impacted rural hos8 pitals; and 

9 (2) not later than December 31, 2025, updates 

10 regarding the report described in paragraph (1). 

Æ 


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