On November 18, 2015, Senator Joni Ernst R-IA)www.ernst.senate.gov appeared before the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee www.veterans.senae.gov to discuss the legislation “Veterans E-Health & Telemedicine Support Act of 2015” (S 2170) that she introduced along with Senator Mazie Hirono (D-HI) www.hirono.senate.gov on October 8th.
The Senator told the Committee members that the legislation builds upon the work that the VA is already doing in telemedicine. The legislation would allow VA doctors to conduct telemedicine across state lines for patients in their homes which is something they have already been able to do within state lines.
In other legislative news, the Senate marked up the “Rural Health Care Connectivity Act of 2015 sponsored by Senators John Thune (R-SD) www.thune.senate.gov, Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) www.klobuchar.senate.gov, John Hoeven (R-ND) www.hoeven.senate.gov, and Deb Fisher (R-NE) www.fisher.senate.gov. The legislation expected to be passed by the full Senate would allow skilled nursing facilities to obtain funding from the Universal Services Rural Health Care Program.