WASHINGTON, D.C. – During today’s telehealth expo hosted by the Senate Broadband Caucus and American Telemedicine Association, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine), a co-founder of the Senate Broadband Caucus, commended the Senate passage of the Creating High-Quality Results and Outcomes Necessary to Improve Chronic (CHRONIC) Care Act. The bipartisan legislation, co-sponsored by Senator King and passed by the Senate on Tuesday night, would help address the needs of Medicare recipients with chronic health needs and provide more flexibility in providing telehealth services for them.

            “Telehealth provides a critical lifeline to people in rural Maine who may otherwise have to travel long distances to receive the care they need,” Senator King said. “And with Maine’s aging population, improving the availability of telehealth technologies in the Medicare program is all the more important. By expanding telehealth opportunities, improving access to care, and lowering healthcare costs we can help bridge the digital divide in our rural communities, connect people to medical professionals and health services, and help support a 21^st century economy.”

Specifically, the CHRONIC Care Act seeks to improve the Medicare program through provisions targeting traditional fee-for-service, Medicare Advantage, and Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) including increased chronic care at home and expanded availability of telehealth services for dialysis and stroke treatments.

Today’s telehealth expo, titled “The Future of Telehealth in the 21^st Century,” highlighted the importance of the telemedicine in today’s digital world and featured demonstrations of the technologies and innovations that are changing the way health care is delivered across the country. The American Telemedicine Association, a co-host of the event, is a non-profit association based in Washington, D.C. It has a membership network of more than 10,000 industry leaders and health care professionals.

Senator King is a co-founder of the Senate Broadband Caucus, a bipartisan caucus working group developing solutions and strategies to accelerate broadband deployment in order to strengthen the digital economy and to close the digital divide, especially in rural America.

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