A presidential election year can produce distortions in how Congress normally functions. The party in control of the White House typically stands to benefit in an election year from the passage of legislation that is popular with the electorate. Developments of that nature furnish a rationale for proclaiming why it is imperative that the political party in power remain in that position to ensure that good times continue to roll forward. The opposition party views the situation quite differently, finding it more convenient to prevent the passage of progressive legislation. That stance enables them to point an accusative finger at incumbents as being ineffective in accomplishing what is necessary. Their rationale is that it is high time for positive changes to occur and they inform the electorate in loud and clear terms that they are the political party with the ability to achieve desirable outcomes.
The year 2020 is proving to be vastly different. A main reason is that COVID-19 persists in being a major concern as of the end of June. As lockdowns have been loosened around the U.S., new cases of this disease continue to appear and hospitalizations are on the rise. Additional remedies are sought and can be implemented, but it is patently clear that agreements of a bipartisan nature are required. A recent example of a willingness to work cooperatively is a letter by a bipartisan group of 30 U.S. senators that was sent on June 15 to Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-NY), asking them to make permanent certain provisions from the bipartisan CONNECT for Health Act that were included in previous COVID-19 legislation. These provisions led to an important expansion of access to telehealth services for Medicare beneficiaries during the pandemic.
The reason for advocating increased access to telehealth stems from its potential to expand availability of health care, reduce costs, and improve health outcomes. Telehealth has proven to be pivotal for many patients during the current pandemic, ensuring that they receive the care they need while reducing the risk of infection and the further spread of COVID-19. Expanded Medicare coverage of telehealth services on a permanent basis, where clinically appropriate and with appropriate guardrails and beneficiary protections in place, would ensure that telehealth continues to be an option for all Medicare beneficiaries after the pandemic ends.
Supporters of this initiative believe that the population has benefited significantly from this expansion of telehealth and have come to rely on its availability. They stress that Congress should expand access to telehealth services on a permanent basis so that telehealth remains an option for all Medicare beneficiaries both now and after the pandemic. Doing so would assure patients that their care will not be interrupted when the pandemic ends. It also would provide certainty to health care providers that the costs to prepare for and use telehealth would be a sound long-term investment.
Apart from telehealth, other major decisions are pending on the near horizon. One of them has to do with deciding if a federal supplemental unemployment benefit of $600 per month should be extended beyond July 31 when it is scheduled to end. From a health professions workforce standpoint, S. 3993 is a bill introduced in the Senate on June 17 to permit a licensed health care provider to offer health care services to individuals in one or more States in which the provider is not licensed.
More June 2020 TRENDS Articles
COVID-19 VACCINE CLINICAL TRIAL CONCERNS
Indicates the importance of ensuring that key demographic groups experiencing the ravages of this disease are represented adequately in upcoming stage three clinical trials. Read More
PRESIDENT’S CORNER
ASAHP President Phyllis King discusses leadership during a time of change with a focus on helping academic teams with transition by working with campus administration to clarify the vision and establish structures that support change. Read More
EFFECTIVE CORONAVIRUS MESSAGES FROM ACADEMIC INSTITUTIONS
Identifies the top five communicators based on frequency and consistency of mention according to an annual Student Sentiment Survey conducted by the firm Eduventures. Read More
CONGRESS IN A TIME OF CORONAVIRUS
Contains some details about an initiative by U.S. senators to increase access to telehealth because of its potential to expand availability of health care, reduce costs, and improve health outcomes. Read More
HEALTH REFORM DEVELOPMENTS
Points out how Medicare is on an unsustainable trajectory and identifies fundamental changes that must be addressed in the federal-state Medicaid program. Read More
DEVELOPMENTS IN HIGHER EDUCATION
Describes how doubts and uncertainties are affecting decisions on whether to reopen schools at all academic levels and some thoughts on how to rethink accreditation and quality assurance. Read More
QUICK STAT (SHORT, TIMELY, AND TOPICAL)
Prevalence Of Tooth Loss Among Older Adults, 2015-2018
Opioid-Involved Emergency Department Visits, Hospitalizations, And Deaths
Personalized Mapping Of Drug Metabolism By The Human Gut Microbiome
Magnetoelectric Materials For Miniature, Wireless Neural Stimulation At Therapeutic Frequencies Read More
AVAILABLE RESOURCES ACCESSIBLE ELECTRONICALLY
Advancing Adolescent Flourishing: Moving Policy Upstream
Preparing For The Next Pandemic
New Data On Community Resilience In The Face Of Disasters Read More
NIH FUNDING AND THE PURSUIT OF EDGE SCIENCE
Reveals the degree to which the NIH is successful in funding work with novel ideas, known as “edge science,” and some reasons why support for this endeavor is not as robust as it could be. Read More
TRANSHUMANISM AND THE PROSPECT OF NEVER HAVING TO DIE
Enthusiasm persists in some quarters that human death can be overcome, but at least in the short term, that quest still has a considerable way to go to reach fruition. Read More