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 Com-
mittee on Ways and Means, and in addition to the Committee on Energy 
and Commerce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speak-
er, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the ju-
risdiction of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To extend certain provisions relating to telehealth services, 
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 ‘‘Ensuring Telehealth 
Expansion Act of 2020’’. 
SEC. 2. EXTENSION OF CERTAIN PROVISIONS RELATING TO 
TELEHEALTH SERVICES. 
(a) EXEMPTION FOR TELEHEALTH SERVICES.— 
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(1) IN GENERAL.—Subparagraph (E) of section 
223(c)(2) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 is 
amended by striking ‘‘December 31, 2021’’ and in-
serting ‘‘December 31, 2025’’. 
(2) 
CERTAIN
COVERAGE
DISREGARDED.— 
Clause (ii) of section 223(c)(1)(B) of the Internal 
Revenue Code of 1986 is amended by striking ‘‘De-
cember 31, 2021’’ and inserting ‘‘December 31, 
2025’’. 
(3) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made 
by this subsection shall take effect on the date of the 
enactment of this Act. 
(b) INCREASING MEDICARE TELEHEALTH FLEXI-
BILITIES DURING LIMITED PERIOD.—Section 1135(b)(8) 
of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1320b–5(b)(8)) is 
amended by striking ‘‘during any portion of any emer-
gency period’’ and inserting ‘‘during any portion of the 
period beginning on the first day of the emergency period 
described in subsection (g)(1)(B) and ending on December 
31, 2025’’. 
(c) ENHANCING MEDICARE TELEHEALTH SERVICES 
FOR FEDERALLY QUALIFIED HEALTH CENTERS
AND 
RURAL HEALTH CLINICS DURING LIMITED PERIOD; 
ELIMINATING SPECIAL PAYMENT RULE FOR SUCH SERV-
ICES.— 
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(1) IN
GENERAL.—Paragraph (8) of section 
1834(m) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 
1395m(m)) is amended to read as follows: 
‘‘(8) ENHANCING TELEHEALTH SERVICES FOR 
FEDERALLY
QUALIFIED
HEALTH
CENTERS
AND 
RURAL
HEALTH
CLINICS
DURING
LIMITED
PE-
RIOD.—During the period beginning on the first day 
of the emergency period described in section 
1135(g)(1)(B) and ending on December 31, 2025— 
‘‘(A) the Secretary shall pay for telehealth 
services that are furnished via a telecommuni-
cations system by a Federally qualified health 
center or a rural health clinic to an eligible tele-
health individual enrolled under this part not-
withstanding that the Federally qualified health 
center or rural clinic providing the telehealth 
service is not at the same location as the bene-
ficiary; and 
‘‘(B) for purposes of this subsection— 
‘‘(i) the term ‘distant site’ includes a 
Federally qualified health center or rural 
health clinic that furnishes a telehealth 
service to an eligible telehealth individual; 
and 
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‘‘(ii) the term ‘telehealth services’ in-
cludes a rural health clinic service or Fed-
erally qualified health center service that is 
furnished using telehealth to the extent 
that payment codes corresponding to serv-
ices identified by the Secretary under 
clause (i) or (ii) of paragraph (4)(F) are 
listed on the corresponding claim for such 
rural health clinic service or Federally 
qualified health center service.’’. 
(2) 
CONFORMING
AMENDMENT.—Section 
1834(m)(2)(A) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 
1395m(m)(2)(A)) is amended by striking ‘‘Subject 
to paragraph (8), the’’ and inserting ‘‘The’’. 
(3) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made 
by this subsection shall take effect as if included in 
the enactment of the CARES Act (Public Law 116– 
136). 
(d) TEMPORARY WAIVER OF REQUIREMENTS FOR 
FACE-TO-FACE VISITS BETWEEN HOME DIALYSIS PA-
TIENTS AND PHYSICIANS.—Section 1881(b)(3)(B)(iii) of 
the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395rr(b)(3)(B)(iii)) 
is amended by striking ‘‘during the emergency period de-
scribed in section 1135(g)(1)(B)’’ and inserting ‘‘during 
the period beginning on the first day of the emergency 
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period described in section 1135(g)(1)(B) and ending on 
December 31, 2025’’. 
(e) USE OF TELEHEALTH TO CONDUCT FACE-TO- 
FACE ENCOUNTER PRIOR TO RECERTIFICATION OF ELI-
GIBILITY
FOR HOSPICE CARE DURING LIMITED PE-
RIOD.—Section 1814(a)(7)(D)(i)(II) of the Social Security 
Act (42 U.S.C. 1395f(a)(7)(D)(i)(II)) is amended by 
striking ‘‘during the emergency period described in section 
1135(g)(1)(B)’’ and inserting ‘‘during the period begin-
ning on the first day of the emergency period described 
in section 1135(g)(1)(B) and ending on December 31, 
2025’’. 
(f) ENCOURAGING USE OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS 
SYSTEMS
FOR HOME HEALTH SERVICES FURNISHED 
DURING LIMITED PERIOD.—Section 3707 of the CARES 
Act (Public Law 116–136) is amended by striking ‘‘during 
the emergency period described in section 1135(g)(1)(B) 
of such Act (42 U.S.C. 1320b–5(g)(1)(B))’’ and inserting 
‘‘during the period beginning on the first day of the emer-
gency period described in section 1135(g)(1)(B) of such 
Act (42 U.S.C. 1320b–5(g)(1)(B)) and ending on Decem-
ber 31, 2025’’. 
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SEC. 3. TEMPORARY NONAPPLICATION OF ORIGINATING 
SITE 
REQUIREMENTS 
WITH 
RESPECT 
TO 
TELEHEALTH SERVICES UNDER MEDICARE 
PROGRAM. 
Section 1834(m)(4)(C) of the Social Security Act (42 
U.S.C. 1395m(m)(4)(C)) is amended— 
(1) in clause (i), by inserting before ‘‘para-
graphs (5), (6), and (7)’’ the following: ‘‘clause (iii) 
and’’; and 
(2) by adding at the end the following new 
clause: 
‘‘(iii) TEMPORARY
NONAPPLICATION 
OF
ORIGINATING
SITE
REQUIREMENTS.— 
For the period beginning on the first day 
of the emergency period described in sec-
tion 1135(g)(1)(B) and ending on Decem-
ber 31, 2025, the term ‘originating site’ 
means any site at which the eligible tele-
health individual is located at the time the 
service is furnished via a telecommuni-
cations system.’’. 
SEC. 4. REPORT BY COMPTROLLER GENERAL. 
The Comptroller General of the United States shall 
submit to Congress— 
(1) not later than December 31, 2023, a report 
on the success and limitations of implementing the 
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statutory provisions amended by sections 2 and 3, 
including— 
(A) details of any savings or costs to the 
Federal Government that are attributable to the 
implementation of such provisions; and 
(B) an analysis of how the implementation 
of such provisions have impacted rural hos-
pitals; and 
(2) not later than December 31, 2025, updates 
regarding the report described in paragraph (1). 
Æ 
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