Whereas telehealth allows a health care practitioner to furnish health care services to a patient or a practitioner at a different physical location than the health care practitioner;

Whereas telehealth plays a significant role in supporting access to quality health care services for millions of patients;

Whereas health care workforce shortages are a significant problem in many areas and for many types of health care clinicians;

Whereas telehealth increases access to health care in areas with workforce shortages and for individuals who live far away from health care facilities, have limited mobility or access to transportation, or have other barriers to accessing care;

Whereas, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the utilization of telehealth services in the Medicare program under title XVIII of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395 et seq.) was low, accounting for approximately 0.1 percent of visits of patients receiving health care services under Medicare part B in 2019;

Whereas 25 percent of Medicare beneficiaries received at least 1 telehealth service in 2024;

Whereas, in 2023, approximately 90 percent of Medicare beneficiaries who received a telehealth service were satisfied with their experience;

Whereas, in 2024, telehealth was a routine health care modality with 13 percent of all Medicare beneficiaries and 23 percent of dually eligible Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries using telehealth in the last quarter of the calendar year;

Whereas telehealth is a common care modality for Medicare beneficiaries to receive behavioral health services, with half of common psychotherapy services furnished under the original Medicare fee-for-service program delivered by telehealth in 2022;

Whereas federally qualified health centers and rural health clinics use telehealth to deliver services to rural and underserved populations;

Whereas telehealth now represents a critical component of health care delivery;

Whereas any lapse in Medicare coverage for telehealth services could adversely impact patient access to care;

Whereas legislative efforts to increase telehealth access have received bipartisan support in the Senate and the House of Representatives;

Whereas the United States has an opportunity to help improve access to health services for all individuals, including members of rural and underserved communities; and

Whereas Telehealth Awareness Week unites the efforts of patients, caregivers, health care providers, policymakers, and other stakeholders to advance the role of telehealth in health care: Now, therefore, be it