I 

116TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 8755 

To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to expand the scope of 

practitioners eligible for payment for telehealth services under the Medicare program, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

NOVEMBER 16, 2020 

Ms. SHERRILL (for herself, Mr. MCKINLEY, Mr. FITZPATRICK, Mr. 

RIGGLEMAN, Mrs. BEATTY, Mr. CARSON of Indiana, Mr. THOMPSON of 

Pennsylvania, Mr. KIM, Mr. MORELLE, Mr. RUSH, Mr. SIRES, Mr. 

KEVIN HERN of Oklahoma, Mr. TIMMONS, and Mr. TONKO) 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 expand 

the scope of practitioners eligible for payment for telehealth services under the Medicare program, 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 ‘‘Expanded Telehealth 

5 Access Act’’. 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS
2 

•HR 8755 IH

1 SEC. 2. EXPANDING THE SCOPE OF PRACTITIONERS ELIGI2 BLE FOR PAYMENT FOR TELEHEALTH SERV3 ICES UNDER MEDICARE. 

4 (a) TELEHEALTH PROVIDER PARITY.—Section 

5 1834(m) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395m(m)) 

6 is amended— 

7 (1) in paragraph (1)— 

8 (A) by striking ‘‘or a practitioner (de9 scribed in section 1842(b)(18)(C))’’ and insert10 ing ‘‘or a professional described in paragraph 

11 (4)(E))’’; and 

12 (B) by striking ‘‘individual physician or 

13 practitioner’’ and inserting ‘‘individual physi14 cian or professional’’; 

15 (2) in paragraph (2)— 

16 (A) by striking ‘‘practitioner’’ each place it 

17 appears and inserting ‘‘professional’’ each such 

18 place; 

19 (B) by inserting before ‘‘located at a dis20 tant site’’ the following ‘‘(or, in the case of an 

21 occupational therapy assistant described in 

22 paragraph (4)(E)(ii)(II) or a physical therapist 

23 assistant described in paragraph (4)(E)(ii)(II), 

24 shall pay with respect to such assistant)’’; and 

25 (C) by inserting ‘‘(or, in the case of an oc26 cupational therapy assistant described in paraVerDate Sep 11 2014 02:30 Nov 26, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H8755.IH H8755

pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS
3 

•HR 8755 IH

1 graph (4)(E)(ii)(II) or a physical therapist as2 sistant described in paragraph (4)(E)(ii)(II), 

3 the amount that would have been paid under 

4 this title with respect to such assistant)’’ after 

5 ‘‘would have been paid under this title’’; 

6 (3) in paragraph (3)(A), by striking ‘‘or practi7 tioner’’ and inserting ‘‘or professional’’; and 

8 (4) in paragraph (4)— 

9 (A) in each of subparagraphs (A) and (C), 

10 by striking ‘‘or practitioner’’ and inserting ‘‘or 

11 professional’’; and 

12 (B) by amending subparagraph (E) to read 

13 as follows: 

14 ‘‘(E) PROFESSIONAL DESCRIBED.—A pro15 fessional described in this subparagraph is— 

16 ‘‘(i) a practitioner described in section 

17 1842(b)(18)(C); or 

18 ‘‘(ii) with respect to services furnished 

19 on or after the date of enactment of the 

20 Expanded Telehealth Access Act, a li21 censed— 

22 ‘‘(I) audiologist; 

23 ‘‘(II) occupational therapist and 

24 occupational therapy assistant under 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS
4 

•HR 8755 IH

1 the supervision of an occupational 

2 therapist; 

3 ‘‘(III) physical therapist and 

4 physical therapist assistant under the 

5 supervision of a physical therapist; 

6 ‘‘(IV) speech language patholo7 gist; 

8 ‘‘(V) facility described in para9 graph (8) or (9) of section 1833(a) 

10 that furnishes telehealth therapy serv11 ices; and 

12 ‘‘(VI) any additional health care 

13 provider, as specified by the Sec14 retary, who participates under this 

15 title and furnishes a service that is in16 cluded as a telehealth service under 

17 this subsection.’’. 

18 (b) ADDITIONAL COVERED TELEHEALTH SERV19 ICES.—Section 1834(m)(4)(F)(i) of the Social Security 

20 Act (42 U.S.C. 1395m(m)(4)(F)(i)) is amended by adding 

21 at the end the following new sentence: ‘‘Such term shall 

22 include, audiology services (as defined in section 

23 1861(ll)(3)) and outpatient therapy services (including 

24 such services furnished by a therapy assistant (as defined 

25 by the Secretary)), including physical therapy of the type 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS
5 

•HR 8755 IH

1 described in section 1861(p), occupational therapy of the 

2 type that are described in section 1861(g), and speech3 language pathology services of the type described in sec4 tion 1861(ll)(2).’’. 

Æ 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS