Reps Shakowsky, King Introduce Legislation to Assist Seniors with Health Care Access and Communications with Loved Ones During COVID-19 Crisis

Reps Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) and Peter King (R-NY) introduced the Advancing Connectivity during the Coronavirus to Ensure Support for Seniors (ACCESS) Act. In March, Sens Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Robert P. Casey, Jr. (D-PA)  introduced the bill in the Senate (S. 3517). Specifically, the ACCESS Act would:

• Authorize an emergency supplemental appropriation of $50 million for the Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Telehealth Resource Center to assist nursing facilities receiving funding through Medicare or Medicaid in expanding their use of telehealth services;
• Require the Secretary of HHS to share recommendations on additional ways to improve access to telehealth services in nursing facilities and temporarily designated nursing facilities during the pandemic; and
• Establish a grant program authorizing HHS to award nursing facilities grants to nursing facilities to enable residents to participate in “virtual visits” with loved ones while the health risk of in-person visits remains high during the pandemic.