Advocate for the HEAT Act!

The Home Health Emergency Access to Telehealth (HEAT) Act was introduced on a bipartisan, bicameral basis recently by Senators Collins (R-ME) and Cardin (D-MD) and Representatives Marshall (R-KS), Sewell (D-AL), Arrington (R-TX), and Thompson (D-CA). LeadingAge and partners VNAA and ElevatingHOME worked very closely with the sponsors’ offices on drafting this legislation and are thrilled to see this important bill introduced.

Under current law, Medicare cannot reimburse home health agencies (HHAs) for delivering care through technology. Despite this significant limitation, countless HHAs have continued to offer care via telehealth to respect the trepidation the people they serve have about allowing additional people into their home during the COVID-19 pandemic. The HEAT Act would provide HHAs the ability to receive reimbursement for providing telehealth visits with appropriate guardrails to protect patients and families. It would put HHAs on par with all other health care providers with regard to flexibility during the ongoing and future public health emergencies, which is critically important for the older adults and those HHAs who serve them.

An article with more details on the HEAT Act is available here, and members are encouraged to reach out to their members of Congress in support of the legislation here.

Contact: Meg Everett, meverett@leadingageny.org, 518-867-8871