I 
117TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 688 
To permit a licensed health care provider to provide health care services 
to individuals in one or more States in which the provider is not licensed. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
FEBRUARY 2, 2021 
Mr. BUDD introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 
on Energy and Commerce 
A BILL 
To permit a licensed health care provider to provide health 
care services to individuals in one or more States in 
which the provider is not licensed. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Equal Access to Care 
Act’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
(1) In public health emergencies, such as the 
Coronavirus Disease 2019 pandemic, it is of para-
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mount importance to deliver medical resources to 
impacted areas where the need is greatest. 
(2) Technologies that allow health care pro-
viders to deliver care across great distances can de-
liver medical care into impacted areas, including 
mental health services and maintenance care for 
chronic illnesses. 
(3) Technologies that allow health care pro-
viders to deliver care across great distances can 
thereby free local providers to address community 
needs that providers can only address in person. 
(4) Under the Constitution, the Commerce 
Clause grants Congress the authority to regulate 
commerce among the States. 
SEC. 3. INTERSTATE TELEMEDICINE. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding any other provi-
sion of law, during the period described in subsection (b), 
in the case of a physician, practitioner, or other health 
care provider who is licensed or otherwise legally author-
ized to provide health care services in a primary State, 
and who provides such health care services in interstate 
commerce through electronic information or telecommuni-
cation technologies to an individual in a secondary State, 
the location of the provision of such services shall be 
deemed to be the primary State and any requirement that 
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such physician, practitioner, or other provider obtain a 
comparable license or other comparable legal authorization 
from the secondary State with respect to the provision of 
such services (including requirements relating to the pre-
scribing of drugs in such secondary State) shall not apply. 
(b) PERIOD DESCRIBED.—The period described in 
this subsection is the period beginning on the date of en-
actment of this Act and ending on the date that is 180 
days after the date on which the national emergency de-
clared by the President under the National Emergencies 
Act (50 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.) with respect to the 
Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID–19) ends. 
(c) REVIEW OF REGULATIONS.—The head of each 
Federal agency shall review existing guidance and regula-
tions to identify any such guidance or regulations that 
may conflict with the provisions of this section. If the head 
of an agency finds any such conflict, notwithstanding any 
other provision of law, such agency head shall, not later 
than 30 days after the date of enactment of this Act, issue 
revised guidance or regulations to ensure compliance with 
the provisions of this section. 
(d) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
(1) 
HEALTH
CARE
SERVICES.—The 
term 
‘‘health care services’’ shall not include services of 
the type for which funding is prohibited under the 
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