Bipartisan lawmakers introduce bill to expand healthcare coverage for rural residents through telehealth

By Elaine Mallon
April 1, 2025
AS SEEN IN THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

EXCLUSIVE — Bipartisan legislation to expand rural access to specialty care for Medicaid and Medicare beneficiaries through telehealth is being introduced in both the House and Senate this week.

The Equal Access to Specialty Care Everywhere Act amends the Social Security Act to allow the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation to enter into an agreement with a provider network, consisting of nonprofit entities such as rural health clinics and critical access hospitals, to expand telehealth services for those living in rural regions.

In the House, the bill is being sponsored by Rep. Jodey Arrington (R-TX) and Rep. Andrea Salinas (D-OR), and in the Senate, the measure is being introduced by Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) and Sen. Alex Padilla (D-CA). 

Arrington said in a statement to the Washington Examiner that it is crucial to ensure rural residents have access to quality healthcare as many work in the critical fields of agriculture and energy.

“We won’t have the next generation of ag and energy producers providing our country with food security and energy independence if we don’t ensure their families have access to quality care,” Arrington said in a statement. “The lack of specialty care for rural Americans has resulted in worse outcomes and higher costs. I’m proud to introduce the EASE Act, which leverages technology to close the health care gap in rural and underserved communities with greater access to specialty and integrated care.” 

Mullin argued that it is important for all people to have access to quality healthcare regardless of their zip code. 

“Rural communities are disproportionately impacted by clinician shortages, an aging population, and transportation hurdles, which can make it tough to access specialty care,” Mullin said. “Harnessing the power of telehealth will help address these needs and expand access to essential health care services of which many patients are in desperate need.”

People in rural areas often struggle to access specialty care and must travel significant distances for treatment. A 2019 policy brief from the University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center revealed that 64% of Rural Health Clinic staff members faced challenges when referring patients to specialists. Many of these rural-serving public health agencies operated with inadequate funding and technology and lacked strong physical and human infrastructure.

The Government Accountability Office found that between 2013 and 2020, 4% of rural hospitals closed, forcing patients to drive 20 miles or more for basic care. Telehealth services have continued to expand, with the Kaiser Family Foundation reporting usage remains higher than pre-pandemic levels. In the last quarter of 2023, more than 12.6% of Medicare beneficiaries received a telehealth service.