For Immediate Release
Washington, DC – The following statement should be attributed to Annette Guarisco Fildes, President and CEO, The ERISA Industry Committee (ERIC):
“The ERISA Industry Committee (ERIC) applauds the U.S. House of Representatives for including the CHRONIC Care Act in the Continuing Resolution (CR), which will expand the use of telehealth for treating and diagnosing strokes and make it easier for enrollees to pay for telehealth services. It gives a five-year extension to Medicare’s Home Health rural add-on payment and a two-year extension to community health centers, extends funding for certain public health programs, and permanently removes a cap on Medicare coverage of therapy services.
ERIC has supported the CHRONIC Care Act since it was first introduced in the Senate in 2016 and unanimously passed in 2017. We are pleased to see that lawmakers in the House are now moving it forward. Medicare is long overdue in adopting the new advances in telehealth and Health IT that employer-sponsored health plans have long championed. ERIC, a champion of telehealth, firmly believes that it can reduce costs, improve outcomes, and expand access to care for the chronically ill. By providing access to the health care services at the earliest opportunity, doctors and patients can treat ailments before they become life threatening.”