Rural Health Care Access Review Act of 2020
The source supplies the latest action, but no lifecycle stage.
Latest action (28 Jul 2020): Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
What this bill does
S. 4348, the Rural Health Care Access Review Act of 2020, would direct the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to conduct a study on health care access in rural areas during the COVID-19 public health emergency. The study would examine telehealth access, quality, patient and provider experience, and utilization during the emergency, broken out by Medicare/Medicaid enrollment, provider type and specialty, and whether services were delivered by audio-only or audio-visual technology. It would also look at how pandemic-era flexibilities affected private payer telehealth policies, disparities in telehealth access and quality, barriers such as broadband infrastructure, and privacy impacts of temporarily waived federal privacy regulations. GAO would report its findings to the Senate Finance and Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committees and the House Ways and Means and Energy and Commerce Committees within 24 months of enactment.
The bill primarily affects rural residents, health care providers, and Medicare/Medicaid beneficiaries by generating information for Congress rather than creating new programs, funding, or regulations itself. It defines "rural area" using the classification of the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy.
The bill was introduced on July 28, 2020, by Senator Bill Cassidy, with Senator Tina Smith as a cosponsor, and referred to the Senate Committee on Finance. It did not receive a vote before the end of the 116th Congress, meaning it did not become law and would need to be reintroduced in a later Congress to be considered further.
Plain-English summary generated by Bill100 AI from the official record. Always verify against the source below.
Official summary
Rural Health Care Access Review Act of 2020
This bill requires the Government Accountability Office to conduct a study on access to health care in rural areas during the COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) emergency.
Specifically, this study must evaluate the use of telehealth and the impact of enforcement discretion in the application of federal privacy standards for the use and disclosure of personal health information by health care providers, health plans, health clearinghouses, and their businesses associates.
Timeline
28 Jul 2020
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
Common questions
- What does S. 4348 do?
- S. 4348, the Rural Health Care Access Review Act of 2020, would direct the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to conduct a study on health care access in rural areas during the COVID-19 public health emergency. The study would examine telehealth access, quality, patient and provider experience, and utilization during the emergency, broken out by Medicare/Medicaid enrollment, provider type and specialty, and whether services were delivered by audio-only or audio-visual technology. It would also look at how pandemic-era flexibilities affected private payer telehealth policies, disparities in telehealth access and quality, barriers such as broadband infrastructure, and privacy impacts of temporarily waived federal privacy regulations. GAO would report its findings to the Senate Finance and Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committees and the House Ways and Means and Energy and Commerce Committees within 24 months of enactment. The bill primarily affects rural residents, health care providers, and Medicare/Medicaid beneficiaries by generating information for Congress rather than creating new programs, funding, or regulations itself. It defines "rural area" using the classification of the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy. The bill was introduced on July 28, 2020, by Senator Bill Cassidy, with Senator Tina Smith as a cosponsor, and referred to the Senate Committee on Finance. It did not receive a vote before the end of the 116th Congress, meaning it did not become law and would need to be reintroduced in a later Congress to be considered further.
- Has S. 4348 become law?
- The source does not supply a confirmed lifecycle stage for S. 4348. Check the latest action and official source below.
- Who sponsored S. 4348?
- S. 4348 was sponsored by Sen. Cassidy, Bill [R-LA] (R-LA), with 1 cosponsor.
- What's the latest action on S. 4348?
- Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance. (28 Jul 2020).
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