Wicker targets expanding federal support for rural telehealth with new legislation

Legislation introduced by U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS) on Wednesday would enable non-rural hospitals that serve rural areas through telehealth to garner support from the Federal Communication Commission’s Healthcare Connect Fund (HCF).

Established by Congress in 2013, HCF supports health care providers to develop advanced telecommunications and information services. That support enables them to offer telemedicine to underserved areas, to send and receive health records, and to perform other functions that improve care and reduce medical costs.

The Reaching Underserved Rural Areas to Lead on Telehealth (RURAL) Act, H.R. 1377, aims to expand telehealth by providing support that enables large, non-rural health care providers to partner with consortiums of small, rural providers.

“Telehealth services are critical to increasing rural Americans’ access to quality care,” Wicker said. “Mississippi is leading the nation in developing telehealth technology. Our health care providers have demonstrated that targeted investments in telehealth can increase access to life-saving services and drive down costs.”

Wicker introduced the bill with bipartisan support from U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz (D-HI).

“Our bill will give telehealth service providers better incentives to serve more rural areas,” Schatz said. “Ultimately, that is good news for anyone who cares about expanding access to health care in Hawaii and other rural areas across the country.”

The RURAL Act would allow non-rural telehealth members to qualify for a 65 percent health care provider broadband connectivity discount under the HCF as long as a majority of the locations within a group are serving rural areas.