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 Medi-
care 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 com-
mittee concerned 
A BILL 
To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to expand 
the scope of practitioners eligible for payment for tele-
health services under the Medicare program, and for 
other purposes. 
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 ‘‘Expanded Telehealth 
Access Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. EXPANDING THE SCOPE OF PRACTITIONERS ELIGI-
BLE FOR PAYMENT FOR TELEHEALTH SERV-
ICES UNDER MEDICARE. 
(a) 
TELEHEALTH
PROVIDER
PARITY.—Section 
1834(m) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395m(m)) 
is amended— 
(1) in paragraph (1)— 
(A) by striking ‘‘or a practitioner (de-
scribed in section 1842(b)(18)(C))’’ and insert-
ing ‘‘or a professional described in paragraph 
(4)(E))’’; and 
(B) by striking ‘‘individual physician or 
practitioner’’ and inserting ‘‘individual physi-
cian or professional’’; 
(2) in paragraph (2)— 
(A) by striking ‘‘practitioner’’ each place it 
appears and inserting ‘‘professional’’ each such 
place; 
(B) by inserting before ‘‘located at a dis-
tant site’’ the following ‘‘(or, in the case of an 
occupational therapy assistant described in 
paragraph (4)(E)(ii)(II) or a physical therapist 
assistant described in paragraph (4)(E)(ii)(II), 
shall pay with respect to such assistant)’’; and 
(C) by inserting ‘‘(or, in the case of an oc-
cupational therapy assistant described in para-
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graph (4)(E)(ii)(II) or a physical therapist as-
sistant described in paragraph (4)(E)(ii)(II), 
the amount that would have been paid under 
this title with respect to such assistant)’’ after 
‘‘would have been paid under this title’’; 
(3) in paragraph (3)(A), by striking ‘‘or practi-
tioner’’ and inserting ‘‘or professional’’; and 
(4) in paragraph (4)— 
(A) in each of subparagraphs (A) and (C), 
by striking ‘‘or practitioner’’ and inserting ‘‘or 
professional’’; and 
(B) by amending subparagraph (E) to read 
as follows: 
‘‘(E) PROFESSIONAL DESCRIBED.—A pro-
fessional described in this subparagraph is— 
‘‘(i) a practitioner described in section 
1842(b)(18)(C); or 
‘‘(ii) with respect to services furnished 
on or after the date of enactment of the 
Expanded Telehealth Access Act, a li-
censed— 
‘‘(I) audiologist; 
‘‘(II) occupational therapist and 
occupational therapy assistant under 
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the supervision of an occupational 
therapist; 
‘‘(III) physical therapist and 
physical therapist assistant under the 
supervision of a physical therapist; 
‘‘(IV) speech language patholo-
gist; 
‘‘(V) facility described in para-
graph (8) or (9) of section 1833(a) 
that furnishes telehealth therapy serv-
ices; and 
‘‘(VI) any additional health care 
provider, as specified by the Sec-
retary, who participates under this 
title and furnishes a service that is in-
cluded as a telehealth service under 
this subsection.’’. 
(b) ADDITIONAL
COVERED
TELEHEALTH
SERV-
ICES.—Section 1834(m)(4)(F)(i) of the Social Security 
Act (42 U.S.C. 1395m(m)(4)(F)(i)) is amended by adding 
at the end the following new sentence: ‘‘Such term shall 
include, audiology services (as defined in section 
1861(ll)(3)) and outpatient therapy services (including 
such services furnished by a therapy assistant (as defined 
by the Secretary)), including physical therapy of the type 
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described in section 1861(p), occupational therapy of the 
type that are described in section 1861(g), and speech- 
language pathology services of the type described in sec-
tion 1861(ll)(2).’’. 
Æ 
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