Thompson veteran telemedicine bill passes House with bipartisan support

The U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday passed legislation introduced by Rep. Glenn “G.T.” Thompson (R-PA) to help more veterans access medical care through telemedicine, particularly those who live in more remote areas.

The Veterans E-Health and Telemedicine Support (VETS) Act of 2017, H.R. 2123, would enable Department of Veterans Affairs licensed health care professionals to practice their profession through telemedicine at any location in any state, regardless of where the professional or the patient is located.

“I am pleased the House passed this bill today to allow our servicemen and women greater access to care – especially those in rural areas,” Thompson said. “As our nation celebrates Veterans Day this weekend, it is particularly meaningful and sends a message that we put our veterans first. This bill will ensure that our veterans receive timely health care no matter where they live,” added Thompson, father of a U.S. Army staff sergeant.

The bill would provide legislative authority to the U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) to allow agency providers to practice telemedicine across state lines. Although the VA has expanded telemedicine service, spending more than $1.2 billion for telemedicine provisions to more than 700,000 veterans last year, current restrictions on cross-state practitioner services has impeded the expansion, according to the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs.

Within one year of the bill’s enactment, the VA would be required to submit a report to both the House and Senate Committees on Veterans’ Affairs on veterans’ and health care providers’ satisfaction with VA telemedicine, and telemedicine’s effect on care access. The report would also cover use frequency, wait times, and any reduction with in-person service use, as well as the type and number of appointments, and any costs savings, including for travel, realized by the VA.

Rep. Julia Brownley (D-CA), ranking member of the House Veterans Affairs’ Health Subcommittee, joined Thompson as an original cosponsor.

“New technologies provide us with better ways to provide care for veterans and tailor it to their unique needs, and we need to capitalize on that innovation,” Brownley said. “I thank Congressman Thompson for his leadership on this bipartisan effort, and I look forward to working with our Senate counterparts to get this bill signed into law.”

House Veterans’ Affairs Committee Chairman Phil Roe (R-TN) said, “As chairman and a physician, I know firsthand the value that telemedicine can play in increasing access to quality health care, particularly for veterans in rural areas. I thank Rep. Thompson for his leadership on this important legislation that will allow VA medical providers to practice across state lines.”

Many health and veterans organizations endorsed the VETS Act, including the American Legion, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Disabled American Veterans, the American Medical Association, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, and the American Telemedicine Association, among others.