WASHINGTON — Today, Congressman Vern Buchanan, Vice Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee and Chairman of the Health Subcommittee, announced that he introduced two bills to extend flexible health care options to Americans in need of timely care.
Buchanan introduced the Permanent Telehealth from Home Act (H.R. 1407) to remove obstructive geographic limitations to telehealth services and the Lung Cancer Screening and Prevention Act (H.R. 1406) to help ensure timely access to advanced screenings for lung cancer.
The Permanent Telehealth from Home Act permanently eliminates the originating site and geographic limitations for using telehealth, which will help patients continue to be able to receive care through telehealth services regardless of the location of the provider or the patient. The 2024 end-of-year government funding bill extended this flexibility through March 2025, but is set to expire without Congressional action. This bipartisan bill is co-led with Rep. Mike Thompson (D-CA).
“Making telehealth services available to patients regardless of their location is a major win for the nearly 200,000 seniors in my district and anyone in need of accessible, convenient care,” said Buchanan. “Extending telehealth services will allow seniors continued access to critical health care, including emergency medical attention and mental health services. I look forward to working with the Trump administration to make this flexibility permanent and expand access to telehealth services.”
“Since my days in the California State Senate, I’ve been a big believer in telehealth’s ability to save money, time, and lives,” said Rep. Thompson. “Telehealth allows patients—especially those with low mobility or who otherwise can’t make it to the doctor’s office—to access the care they need when they need it. Expanding Americans’ access to telehealth’s vital services regardless of geography just makes sense. Thank you to Rep. Buchanan for his leadership on this issue.”
President Trump has expressed a willingness to extend telehealth coverage. In August 2020, he signed an executive order calling for the extension of telehealth services beyond the COVID-19 public health emergency to support rural Americans.
Buchanan’s bill is cosponsored by Reps. Thompson and Max Miller (R-OH). It is also supported by the American Telemedicine Association and Connected Health Initiative.
“Patients in need should continue to receive care through their preferred telehealth service regardless of the location of the provider or the patient. The Permanent Telehealth from Home Act would strengthen access to vital healthcare services in our nation by ensuring the availability and accessibility of telehealth services and high-quality patient care. I am honored to join Health Subcommittee Chair Vern Buchanan and Congressman Mike Thompson in introducing this critical measure aimed at improving patient outcomes by enhancing the effectiveness and efficiency of care,” said Rep. Miller.
“The pandemic may be over but there remains a serious imbalance in access to quality care for patients across the country. This important legislation, to permanently eliminate the originating site and geographic limitations for using telehealth, would provide a lifeline to rural communities and underserved populations, including older Americans and those with mobility challenges. Extending these critical telehealth flexibilities gives patients and healthcare providers certainty, knowing that access to essential virtual care services will be uninterrupted. Our thanks to Representatives Vern Buchanan and Mike Thompson for their bipartisan leadership to improve the health and wellbeing of patients across the country, no matter where they live,” said Kyle Zebley, Senior Vice President, Public Policy, American Telemedicine Association, and Executive Director, ATA Action.
“Telehealth has proven to be a vital support for patients across the country. However, outdated rules continue to imperil access to the lifesaving care patients can get through telehealth. The Permanent Telehealth from Home Act would permanently eliminate originating site and geographic restrictions from Medicare’s coverage of live audio and video visits, greatly improving access to telehealth for all Americans, including those with disabilities and who live in rural areas. The Connected Health Initiative applauds Representatives Buchanan and Thompson for reintroducing this key legislation,” said Brian Scarpelli, Executive Director, Connected Health Initiative.
Buchanan’s Lung Cancer Screening and Prevention Act expedites the approval process of new lung cancer screening tests approved by the Food and Drug Administration.
“The federal government should make it easier for seniors and folks at risk to access crucial life-saving lung cancer screenings and not unreasonably hinder these tests from becoming available for use,” said Buchanan. “Unfortunately, bureaucratic red tape has too often stifled innovation, unreasonably delaying access to advanced testing. Early detection is key, and this bipartisan legislation ensures that more Americans have access to life-saving screenings.”
Under current law, lung cancer screening tests must be approved by both the FDA and the United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) which can add layers of unnecessary red tape before the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) may consider the tests for coverage. The current USPSTF review process is also cumbersome and can take up to five years, preventing new and potentially life-saving screenings from expeditiously coming to the market.
Buchanan’s bill is cosponsored by Reps. Morgan Griffith, Tim Kennedy, Darin LaHood, Darren Soto and Debbie Wasserman Shultz. It has been endorsed by a wide range of leading associations and top cancer hospitals across the country, including the Moffitt Cancer Center, the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, the Alliance of Dedicated Cancer Centers, the Prevent Cancer Foundation, the LUNGevity Foundation and DELFI Diagnostics.
“Unnecessary barriers and red tape restricting Americans’ access to lung cancer screening tests make it harder to identify and prevent a lung cancer diagnosis. The Lung Cancer Screening and Prevention Act breaks down these barriers to advance screening tests for Americans and help save lives,” said Rep. Griffith.
“I am proud to support the Lung Cancer Screening and Prevention Act, which will help make screening for lung cancer more accessible, especially for our seniors. In my district, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center is making great strides in defeating this horrible disease, but as we work toward finding a cure it is critical to improve early detection of lung cancer to improve treatment outcomes and save lives. During National Cancer Prevention Month, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation to deliver innovative healthcare treatments that will make our communities healthier,” said Rep. Kennedy.
“Lung cancer claims more lives than any other form of cancer. In fact, it claims more lives annually than breast, colorectal, and prostate cancers combined. But we can change this by improving access to early detection and preventative care. The Lung Screening and Prevention Act would help ensure that new screening and early detection approaches can become widely accessible without undue delay, once they are proven effective,” said Jhanelle Gray, M.D., Chair, Department of Thoracic Oncology, Moffitt Cancer Center.
“The immense burden of lung cancer mortality in the U.S. is due in large part to the fact most of these cancers — 81 percent — are diagnosed at a late stage, when treatment options are limited, and only 20 percent of patients are expected to live five years. We wholeheartedly support the Lung Cancer Screening and Prevention Act because it would expedite patient access to blood tests to diagnose lung cancer as soon as such tests can be proven effective,” said Jack Kolosky, Executive Director, Alliance of Dedicated Cancer Centers.
“Lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer-related deaths. We applaud the leadership of Representatives Buchanan, Griffith, Kennedy, Soto, and Wasserman Schultz in advancing legislation that has the potential to increase access to additional methods for detecting lung cancer in its earlier stages, when treatment can be more effective,” said Jody Hoyos, CEO, Prevent Cancer Foundation.
“Finding lung cancer early can significantly improve the prognosis for patients. As new screening tools are approved, we should make them accessible to those who could benefit as quickly as possible. We applaud Representatives Buchanan, Wasserman Schultz, Griffith, Soto, and Kennedy for their leadership on this legislation to expedite access to these innovative technologies,” said Andrea Ferris, President and CEO, LUNGevity Foundation.
“We thank and applaud Representatives Buchanan, Lahood, Griffith, Soto, Wasserman Schultz, and Kennedy for their bipartisan efforts towards tackling lung cancer, the number one cancer killer of Americans and of Medicare beneficiaries. This legislation will enable CMS to add, at its discretion and in the setting of compelling evidence, new approaches to the early detection of lung cancer, which could save tens of thousands of lives,” said Susan Tousi, CEO, DELFI Diagnostics.
Lung cancer can be highly treatable if detected at an early stage and before it has spread. According to the University of Florida Health, “catching the disease in its earliest stages can have a striking effect.” For example, early detection through screening can increase the 5-year survival rate for stage I lung cancer to nearly 90 percent. Unfortunately, only about five percent of those recommended for screening get tested for lung cancer.
Currently, only five percent of those who are recommended for testing (those between the ages of 50-80, have 20 pack-per-year smoking history and are a current smoker, or have quit within the last 15 years) get screened for lung cancer. By allowing CMS to cover lung cancer screenings without first requiring a lengthy USPSTF review, the Lung Cancer Screening and Prevention Act would help several new tests currently being developed become available and contribute to earlier detection of lung cancer.
According to a study by The American Lung Association, lung cancer screening adds 80,000 years of life for people in the U.S. and saves the U.S. economy $40 million. If everyone who was eligible to get screened did so, it would add 500,000 years of life and save the nation $500 million.
In addition to being the Vice Chairman and most senior Republican on the powerful U.S. House Ways and Means Committee, Buchanan is also the Chairman of the Health Subcommittee, which has broad jurisdiction over traditional Medicare, the Medicare prescription drug benefit program and Medicare Advantage.
