CONNECT for Health Act of 2025
- Bill Number
- S. 1261
- Origin Chamber
- Senate
- Congress
- 119th Congress, Session 1
- Policy Area
- Health
- Status
- Introduced
- Latest Action
- 2025-04-02: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
- Last Updated
- 2026-05-04T15:19:34Z
AI-Generated Summary
Purpose of the Legislation
The CONNECT for Health Act of 2025 aims to expand and stabilize access to telehealth services under Medicare (the federal health insurance program for people aged 65 and older, some younger people with disabilities, and those with certain conditions). It builds on temporary changes made during the COVID-19 pandemic by making many flexibilities permanent, removing barriers to coverage, strengthening oversight to prevent fraud, and providing support for patients and providers to ensure safe, effective use of telehealth. The goal is to improve care access, especially in rural or underserved areas, while maintaining program integrity and quality.
Key Provisions
The bill is organized into three titles, amending Title XVIII of the Social Security Act (which governs Medicare Part B outpatient services).
Title I: Removing Barriers to Telehealth Coverage
- Geographic Requirements (Sec. 101): Eliminates limits on where telehealth services can be provided (e.g., no longer restricting to rural areas), effective October 1, 2025.
- Originating Sites (Sec. 102): Expands eligible locations for patients to receive telehealth (e.g., homes or other non-facility sites) permanently, starting from the date of enactment.
- Eligible Practitioners (Sec. 103): Allows the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to waive restrictions on who can provide telehealth (e.g., adding physical therapists or occupational therapists if clinically appropriate), with public comment, requirements for protections, and periodic reviews every three years.
- Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) and Rural Health Clinics (RHCs) (Sec. 104): Permits these community-based clinics to bill for telehealth as regular outpatient services after October 1, 2025, and includes related costs in payment calculations.
- Native American Health Facilities (Sec. 105): Waives originating site rules for Indian Health Service facilities, tribal organizations, and Native Hawaiian health systems starting January 1, 2026; no facility fee applies to these sites if they don't meet other criteria.
- Telemental Health (Sec. 106): Repeals the requirement for an in-person visit every six months for mental health telehealth services, making it fully remote.
- Public Health Emergencies (Sec. 107): Expands waivers of telehealth rules during declared public health emergencies beyond the COVID-19 period.
- Hospice Care Recertification (Sec. 108): Allows telehealth for recertifying patients' eligibility for hospice (end-of-life care) beyond the COVID emergency period; requires a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report in three years on impacts like oversight and beneficiary numbers.
Title II: Program Integrity
- Fraud and Abuse Clarification (Sec. 201): Updates civil monetary penalty laws to allow providers to give patients free or low-cost devices (e.g., tablets for video calls) for telehealth, remote monitoring, or tech-based care, as long as it's not tied to advertising and meets HHS rules.
- Oversight Funding (Sec. 202): Authorizes $3 million annually from 2026 to 2030 for the HHS Inspector General to audit and investigate telehealth fraud.
- Outlier Billing (Sec. 203): Requires HHS to identify doctors or practitioners with unusual billing patterns (e.g., overlong sessions or duplicates) using claims data, notify them with comparisons and guidelines, and make aggregate data public without naming individuals. Also expands telehealth resource centers to educate outliers on proper billing.
Title III: Beneficiary and Provider Supports, Quality of Care, and Data
- Beneficiary Engagement (Sec. 301): Directs HHS to create resources, guidance, and training within six months on making telehealth accessible for people with limited English proficiency or disabilities (e.g., interpreter integration, captioning). Includes a study and report in two years on engagement strategies for underserved groups, with funding authorized.
- Provider Supports (Sec. 302): Requires HHS to develop educational resources and training within six months on telehealth billing, privacy, and serving vulnerable patients, with funding authorized.
- Quality Measurement (Sec. 303): Mandates HHS to review and update quality measures (standards to evaluate care effectiveness) to include telehealth within 180 days, consulting experts; identifies gaps in outcomes and patient experience; issues guidance on data use; and reports to Congress in two years.
- Data Posting (Sec. 304): Requires HHS to post quarterly data on Medicare's website starting 180 days after enactment, covering telehealth use by patient type, service, location, and provider; spending/utilization impacts; and other outcomes.
Significant Changes to Existing Law
- Permanence of COVID Flexibilities: Many temporary rules from the 2020 public health emergency (e.g., no geographic limits, home as originating site, expanded practitioners) become permanent or extended indefinitely, ending reliance on emergency declarations.
- Repeals and Expansions: Removes the six-month in-person mental health requirement (previously set to expire October 1, 2025) and originating site restrictions for specific facilities like FQHCs/RHCs and Native American sites.
- New Authorities and Funding: Introduces HHS waiver powers for practitioners, clarifies anti-fraud rules for tech provision, adds oversight funding, and mandates new data reporting and quality integrations not previously required.
- Hospice and Emergency Adjustments: Broadens telehealth use in hospice recertification and public health emergency waivers beyond COVID-specific limits.
Potential Impacts
- On Citizens (Medicare Beneficiaries): Increases access to care for rural, mobility-limited, or underserved individuals (e.g., 24% of Medicare users already use telehealth); improves mental health and hospice options; enhances equity for non-English speakers, disabled people, and Native communities. May reduce travel costs and wait times but requires tech access.
- On Government Agencies: HHS and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) must implement changes, conduct reviews/reports, post data, and oversee waivers/billing—potentially increasing administrative workload but with new funding for integrity. Inspector General gains resources for fraud prevention.
- On International Relations: No direct impacts; focuses on domestic Medicare policy.
- Broader Effects: Could lower overall Medicare spending by reducing in-person visits (per congressional findings) while addressing workforce shortages; promotes tech adoption but risks overutilization if oversight fails.
Main Stakeholders Affected
- Medicare Beneficiaries: Primary users, especially in rural/underserved areas, those with mental health needs, disabilities, limited English, or in hospice.
- Health Care Providers: Doctors, mental health professionals, FQHCs/RHCs, Native American/tribal facilities, and others eligible for waivers; gain flexibility but face new billing scrutiny and training requirements.
- Government Entities: HHS/CMS (implementation, guidance, data); HHS Inspector General (oversight); GAO (hospice report).
- Other Groups: Tech vendors (for devices/software); patient advocacy organizations (input on accessibility/quality); telehealth resource centers (expanded education role).
Notable Legal, Constitutional, or Political Implications
- Legal: Strengthens compliance with fraud/abuse laws (e.g., Anti-Kickback Statute) by clarifying tech provisions, reducing ambiguity for providers. Introduces periodic HHS reviews/terminations for waivers, ensuring ongoing clinical justification. No challenges to existing Medicare authority.
- Constitutional: Aligns with Congress's spending power under the Constitution to regulate interstate commerce and fund health programs; promotes equal access without infringing rights.
- Political: Bipartisan (over 50 cosponsors from both parties), reflecting broad support for post-COVID telehealth expansion. May influence future health policy by normalizing tech in Medicare, but requires balancing access gains with fraud risks amid debates on federal spending. No major controversies noted in the bill text.
This summary was generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies. Refer to the official source document for the authoritative text.
Sponsor
Cosponsors (73)
Sen. Wicker, Roger F. [R-MS], Sen. Warner, Mark R. [D-VA], Sen. Hyde-Smith, Cindy [R-MS], Sen. Welch, Peter [D-VT], Sen. Barrasso, John [R-WY], Sen. Padilla, Alex [D-CA], Sen. Thune, John [R-SD], Sen. Smith, Tina [D-MN], Sen. Lankford, James [R-OK], Sen. Cantwell, Maria [D-WA], Sen. Tuberville, Tommy [R-AL], Sen. Hickenlooper, John W. [D-CO], Sen. Cotton, Tom [R-AR], Sen. Klobuchar, Amy [D-MN], Sen. Sullivan, Dan [R-AK], Sen. Fetterman, John [D-PA], Sen. Capito, Shelley Moore [R-WV], Sen. Merkley, Jeff [D-OR], Sen. Lummis, Cynthia M. [R-WY], Sen. Kaine, Tim [D-VA], Sen. Cramer, Kevin [R-ND], Sen. Shaheen, Jeanne [D-NH], Sen. Britt, Katie Boyd [R-AL], Sen. Gallego, Ruben [D-AZ], Sen. Moran, Jerry [R-KS], Sen. Lujan, Ben Ray [D-NM], Sen. Cassidy, Bill [R-LA], Sen. Blumenthal, Richard [D-CT], Sen. Tillis, Thomas [R-NC], Sen. King, Angus S., Jr. [I-ME], Sen. Justice, James C. [R-WV], Sen. Coons, Christopher A. [D-DE], Sen. Schmitt, Eric [R-MO], Sen. Whitehouse, Sheldon [D-RI], Sen. Murkowski, Lisa [R-AK], Sen. Rosen, Jacky [D-NV], Sen. Hoeven, John [R-ND], Sen. Booker, Cory A. [D-NJ], Sen. Grassley, Chuck [R-IA], Sen. Duckworth, Tammy [D-IL], Sen. Rounds, Mike [R-SD], Sen. Sanders, Bernard [I-VT], Sen. Marshall, Roger [R-KS], Sen. Kelly, Mark [D-AZ], Sen. Fischer, Deb [R-NE], Sen. Gillibrand, Kirsten E. [D-NY], Sen. Young, Todd [R-IN], Sen. Heinrich, Martin [D-NM], Sen. Collins, Susan M. [R-ME], Sen. Peters, Gary C. [D-MI] and 23 more
Recent Actions
- 2025-04-02: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
- 2025-04-02: Introduced in Senate
Bill Versions
- Creating Opportunities Now for Necessary and Effective Care Technologies (CONNECT) for Health Act of 2025 — issued 2025-04-02 — PDF (28 pages)