Health
On Tuesday, Rep. Mike Thompson (CA-04), Rep. David Schweikert (AZ-01), Rep. Doris Matsui (CA-07), Rep. Troy Balderson (OH-12) and Senator Brian Schatz (D-HI) announced they led a letter signed by 100 Members of Congress and Senators to House and Senate leadership urging them to extend telehealth coverage benefits so that all Medicare beneficiaries retain access to these services.
Without an extension by Dec. 31, seniors on Medicare would lose access to critical telehealth services.
“Since my days in the California State Senate, I’ve been a big believer in telehealth’s ability to save money, time, and lives,” said Rep. Thompson. “Telehealth allows patients — especially those with low mobility or who otherwise can’t make it to the doctor’s office — to access the care they need when they need it. Expanding Americans' access to vital telehealth services just makes sense.”
“Technology is critical in expanding access to care for not only Arizonans, but for citizens across the United States,” said Rep. Schweikert. “Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, telehealth provided effective, affordable, and accommodating means of care. Telehealth is by far the most moral and bipartisan method of providing access to care, and we owe it to our everyday health heroes, physicians, and patients to ensure this resource is always available.”
“The benefits are clear — telehealth makes it easier for patients to pick up the phone, follow through on their appointments, and seek care sooner. That’s why the expansion of telehealth services has been crucial for reaching our most vulnerable patients,” said Rep. Matsui. “Removing barriers to telehealth has expanded access and improved the quality of care for Medicare beneficiaries — and we cannot afford to take any steps back. We have a nation relying on these services. That’s why my colleagues and I are working hard to ensure that Americans continue to have access to convenient, quality health care that’s right for them, when and where they need it.”
“Telehealth services have proven to be essential for our rural communities,” said Rep. Balderson. “For many folks in rural and Appalachian Ohio, access to quality health care has long been a major challenge. With the technology we have today, we are able to improve health outcomes in our most underserved areas and finally close the urban-rural divide. It is critical for Congress to act and ensure federal support for telehealth services continues into 2025.”
The members of Congress who signed the letter include Representatives Mike Thompson, Troy Balderson, Nanette Barragán, Julia Brownley, Kathy Castor, Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, Gerald Connolly, Angie Craig, Danny Davis, Donald Davis, Diana DeGette, Chris Deluzio, Debbie Dingell, Dwight Evans, Mike Ezell, Maxwell Frost, Jared Golden, Dan Goldman, Michael Guest, Eleanor Holmes Norton, Trent Kelly, Robin Kelly, Derek Kilmer, Doug LaMalfa, Teresa Leger Fernández, Mike Levin, Ted Lieu, Zoe Lofgren, Stephen Lynch, Seth Magaziner, Doris Matsui, Jennifer McClellan, Frank Mrvan, Kevin Mullin, Grace Napolitano, Troy Nehls, Scott Peters, Mark Pocan, Mike Quigley, Delia Ramirez, Andrea Salinas, Linda Sánchez, Jan Schakowsky, David Schweikert, Adrian Smith, Greg Stanton, Marilyn Strickland, Shri Thanedar, Paul Tonko, Lori Trahan, David Trone, Marc Veasey, Nydia Velázquez, and Nikema Williams.
Members of the U.S. Senate who signed the letter include Senators Richard Blumenthal, Cory A. Booker, John Boozman, Maria Cantwell, Shelley Moore Capito, Benjamin Cardin, Bill Cassidy, Susan M. Collins, Catherine Cortez Masto, Kevin Cramer, Steve Daines, Tammy Duckworth, John Fetterman, Deb Fischer, Kirsten Gillibrand, Lindsey O. Graham, Martin Heinrich, John Hoeven, Cindy Hyde-Smith, Tim Kaine, Mark Kelly, Angus S. King, Jr., Amy Klobuchar, Ben Ray Luján, Joe Manchin III, Jeffrey A. Merkley, Markwayne Mullin, Lisa Murkowski, Alex Padilla, Gary C. Peters, Jack Reed, James E. Risch, Jacky Rosen, Mike Rounds, Brian Schatz, Jeanne Shaheen, Kyrsten Sinema, Tina Smith, Dan Sullivan, Thom Tillis, Chris Van Hollen, Mark R. Warner, Raphael Warnock, Peter Welch, Sheldon Whitehouse, and Roger F. Wicker.
The text of the letter can be found below.
Dear Majority Leader Schumer, Minority Leader McConnell, Speaker Johnson, and Minority Leader Jeffries:
Expanded Medicare coverage for telehealth services is set to expire on December 31, 2024. As you work to advance a year-end appropriations package, we urge you to extend coverage as much as possible so that all Medicare beneficiaries retain access to these services.
Telehealth plays a critical role in health care delivery – a fact that Congress has recognized by expanding coverage during and after the COVID-19 public health emergency. Most recently, in the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023, Congress enacted a two-year extension of Medicare telehealth services coverage. Committees of jurisdiction in the House of Representatives have recently recognized the need to protect patients’ access to telehealth services by voting to advance an additional two-year extension on a bipartisan, unanimous basis.
We ask you to prioritize provisions that remove geographic restrictions on telehealth services and permit the home and other clinically appropriate settings as originating sites. Congress should also expand the authority for practitioners eligible to furnish telehealth services. Rural and underserved communities rely on telehealth services, and Congress should recognize federally qualified health centers and rural health clinics as telehealth distant site providers. Additionally, Congress should allow the use of telehealth in the recertification of hospice care. Finally, telehealth has transformed mental and behavioral health care, now accounting for 40 percent of telehealth services provided under the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule. Therefore, Congress should permanently repeal the six-month in-person visit requirement for telemental health services. It should also reject similar policies that create barriers to care.
Telehealth provides essential access to care and improves outcomes, including reduced emergency department utilization and improved medication adherence. Medicare beneficiaries have come to rely on expanded access to telehealth services and are satisfied with the care they receive. While there is overwhelming support for Congress to enact permanent telehealth legislation, we must provide patients and clinicians with long-term certainty to support continued investment in technology and clinical models to meet the evolving health care needs of Medicare beneficiaries. We appreciate your collaboration and leadership on this issue and look forward to working with you to ensure access to telehealth services is retained by the end of 2024.
Without an extension by Dec. 31, seniors on Medicare would lose access to critical telehealth services.
“Since my days in the California State Senate, I’ve been a big believer in telehealth’s ability to save money, time, and lives,” said Rep. Thompson. “Telehealth allows patients — especially those with low mobility or who otherwise can’t make it to the doctor’s office — to access the care they need when they need it. Expanding Americans' access to vital telehealth services just makes sense.”
“Technology is critical in expanding access to care for not only Arizonans, but for citizens across the United States,” said Rep. Schweikert. “Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, telehealth provided effective, affordable, and accommodating means of care. Telehealth is by far the most moral and bipartisan method of providing access to care, and we owe it to our everyday health heroes, physicians, and patients to ensure this resource is always available.”
“The benefits are clear — telehealth makes it easier for patients to pick up the phone, follow through on their appointments, and seek care sooner. That’s why the expansion of telehealth services has been crucial for reaching our most vulnerable patients,” said Rep. Matsui. “Removing barriers to telehealth has expanded access and improved the quality of care for Medicare beneficiaries — and we cannot afford to take any steps back. We have a nation relying on these services. That’s why my colleagues and I are working hard to ensure that Americans continue to have access to convenient, quality health care that’s right for them, when and where they need it.”
“Telehealth services have proven to be essential for our rural communities,” said Rep. Balderson. “For many folks in rural and Appalachian Ohio, access to quality health care has long been a major challenge. With the technology we have today, we are able to improve health outcomes in our most underserved areas and finally close the urban-rural divide. It is critical for Congress to act and ensure federal support for telehealth services continues into 2025.”
The members of Congress who signed the letter include Representatives Mike Thompson, Troy Balderson, Nanette Barragán, Julia Brownley, Kathy Castor, Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, Gerald Connolly, Angie Craig, Danny Davis, Donald Davis, Diana DeGette, Chris Deluzio, Debbie Dingell, Dwight Evans, Mike Ezell, Maxwell Frost, Jared Golden, Dan Goldman, Michael Guest, Eleanor Holmes Norton, Trent Kelly, Robin Kelly, Derek Kilmer, Doug LaMalfa, Teresa Leger Fernández, Mike Levin, Ted Lieu, Zoe Lofgren, Stephen Lynch, Seth Magaziner, Doris Matsui, Jennifer McClellan, Frank Mrvan, Kevin Mullin, Grace Napolitano, Troy Nehls, Scott Peters, Mark Pocan, Mike Quigley, Delia Ramirez, Andrea Salinas, Linda Sánchez, Jan Schakowsky, David Schweikert, Adrian Smith, Greg Stanton, Marilyn Strickland, Shri Thanedar, Paul Tonko, Lori Trahan, David Trone, Marc Veasey, Nydia Velázquez, and Nikema Williams.
Members of the U.S. Senate who signed the letter include Senators Richard Blumenthal, Cory A. Booker, John Boozman, Maria Cantwell, Shelley Moore Capito, Benjamin Cardin, Bill Cassidy, Susan M. Collins, Catherine Cortez Masto, Kevin Cramer, Steve Daines, Tammy Duckworth, John Fetterman, Deb Fischer, Kirsten Gillibrand, Lindsey O. Graham, Martin Heinrich, John Hoeven, Cindy Hyde-Smith, Tim Kaine, Mark Kelly, Angus S. King, Jr., Amy Klobuchar, Ben Ray Luján, Joe Manchin III, Jeffrey A. Merkley, Markwayne Mullin, Lisa Murkowski, Alex Padilla, Gary C. Peters, Jack Reed, James E. Risch, Jacky Rosen, Mike Rounds, Brian Schatz, Jeanne Shaheen, Kyrsten Sinema, Tina Smith, Dan Sullivan, Thom Tillis, Chris Van Hollen, Mark R. Warner, Raphael Warnock, Peter Welch, Sheldon Whitehouse, and Roger F. Wicker.
The text of the letter can be found below.
Dear Majority Leader Schumer, Minority Leader McConnell, Speaker Johnson, and Minority Leader Jeffries:
Expanded Medicare coverage for telehealth services is set to expire on December 31, 2024. As you work to advance a year-end appropriations package, we urge you to extend coverage as much as possible so that all Medicare beneficiaries retain access to these services.
Telehealth plays a critical role in health care delivery – a fact that Congress has recognized by expanding coverage during and after the COVID-19 public health emergency. Most recently, in the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023, Congress enacted a two-year extension of Medicare telehealth services coverage. Committees of jurisdiction in the House of Representatives have recently recognized the need to protect patients’ access to telehealth services by voting to advance an additional two-year extension on a bipartisan, unanimous basis.
We ask you to prioritize provisions that remove geographic restrictions on telehealth services and permit the home and other clinically appropriate settings as originating sites. Congress should also expand the authority for practitioners eligible to furnish telehealth services. Rural and underserved communities rely on telehealth services, and Congress should recognize federally qualified health centers and rural health clinics as telehealth distant site providers. Additionally, Congress should allow the use of telehealth in the recertification of hospice care. Finally, telehealth has transformed mental and behavioral health care, now accounting for 40 percent of telehealth services provided under the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule. Therefore, Congress should permanently repeal the six-month in-person visit requirement for telemental health services. It should also reject similar policies that create barriers to care.
Telehealth provides essential access to care and improves outcomes, including reduced emergency department utilization and improved medication adherence. Medicare beneficiaries have come to rely on expanded access to telehealth services and are satisfied with the care they receive. While there is overwhelming support for Congress to enact permanent telehealth legislation, we must provide patients and clinicians with long-term certainty to support continued investment in technology and clinical models to meet the evolving health care needs of Medicare beneficiaries. We appreciate your collaboration and leadership on this issue and look forward to working with you to ensure access to telehealth services is retained by the end of 2024.
- Details
- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
The California Department of Public Health is issuing a second warning to Californians to not consume raw milk produced and packaged by Raw Farm LLC of Fresno County due to a detection of bird flu virus in a second retail sample.
At the state’s request, the company has issued a voluntary recall of the affected milk lot code number 20241119 with a Best By date of 12/07/2024 printed on the packaging.
No human bird flu cases associated with the product have been detected. As the state continues to investigate the link between bird flu detections in retail raw milk and the ongoing spread of bird flu in dairy cows, poultry, and sporadic human cases, consumers are strongly urged to not consume any of the affected raw milk. Customers should immediately return any remaining product to the retail point of purchase.
The California Department of Food and Agriculture was onsite at Raw Farm’s milk processing facility on Wednesday, Nov. 27, collecting additional samples of stored bulk tank milk and bottled products. Results from that additional testing are pending.
As with the testing that led to the November 24 voluntary recall notice, the Santa Clara County Public Health Laboratory tested raw milk products from retail stores in their county as a second line of consumer protection. The county identified bird flu in this second sample of raw milk purchased at a retail outlet.
Risks associated with raw milk
Public health experts have long warned consumers against consuming raw milk or raw milk products due to elevated risks of foodborne illness. Outbreaks due to Salmonella, Listeria monocytogenes, toxin producing E. coli, Brucella, Campylobacter, and many other bacteria have all been reported related to consuming raw dairy products.
Raw milk products are not pasteurized, a heating process that kills bacteria and viruses such as bird flu.
Pasteurized milk and milk products are safe to consume because the heating process kills pathogens, including bird flu, that can cause illness.
Drinking or accidentally inhaling raw milk containing bird flu virus may lead to illness. In addition, touching your eyes, nose, or mouth with unwashed hands after touching raw milk with bird flu virus may also lead to infection.
Symptoms of bird flu infection in humans include eye redness or discharge, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, diarrhea, vomiting, muscle or body aches, headaches, fatigue, trouble breathing and fever. Anyone who has consumed these specific products, and is experiencing these symptoms, should immediately contact their health care provider or local health department.
California regularly tests raw milk
As part of the state’s bird flu response, testing of raw milk from dairies has been increased to help prevent raw milk consumers from getting the virus.
Once bird flu was found in California dairy herds, the California Department of Food and Agriculture began regular testing of raw milk in bulk tanks. In response to these recent positive tests from two retail raw milk batches, CDFA followed up with immediate additional sampling and testing at Raw Farm.
Pasteurized milk is safe to drink
Pasteurized milk is safe to drink. Pasteurization, one of the most significant scientific food safety discoveries in human history, is the process of heating milk to specific temperatures for a certain length of time to kill many microorganisms and enzymes that lead to spoilage and illness.
Pasteurization kills the bird flu virus and other harmful germs that can be found in raw milk. CDPH advises consumers not to drink raw milk or eat raw milk products due to the risk of foodborne illnesses.
About bird flu
Since early October, California has reported 29 confirmed human cases of bird flu, 28 of whom had direct contact with infected dairy cows. No person-to-person spread of bird flu has been detected in California or the U.S.
To date, all cases have reported mild symptoms (primarily eye infections), and none have been hospitalized.
Because bird flu viruses can change and gain the ability to spread more easily between people, public health officials have provided preventive measures and are monitoring animal and human infections carefully.
At the state’s request, the company has issued a voluntary recall of the affected milk lot code number 20241119 with a Best By date of 12/07/2024 printed on the packaging.
No human bird flu cases associated with the product have been detected. As the state continues to investigate the link between bird flu detections in retail raw milk and the ongoing spread of bird flu in dairy cows, poultry, and sporadic human cases, consumers are strongly urged to not consume any of the affected raw milk. Customers should immediately return any remaining product to the retail point of purchase.
The California Department of Food and Agriculture was onsite at Raw Farm’s milk processing facility on Wednesday, Nov. 27, collecting additional samples of stored bulk tank milk and bottled products. Results from that additional testing are pending.
As with the testing that led to the November 24 voluntary recall notice, the Santa Clara County Public Health Laboratory tested raw milk products from retail stores in their county as a second line of consumer protection. The county identified bird flu in this second sample of raw milk purchased at a retail outlet.
Risks associated with raw milk
Public health experts have long warned consumers against consuming raw milk or raw milk products due to elevated risks of foodborne illness. Outbreaks due to Salmonella, Listeria monocytogenes, toxin producing E. coli, Brucella, Campylobacter, and many other bacteria have all been reported related to consuming raw dairy products.
Raw milk products are not pasteurized, a heating process that kills bacteria and viruses such as bird flu.
Pasteurized milk and milk products are safe to consume because the heating process kills pathogens, including bird flu, that can cause illness.
Drinking or accidentally inhaling raw milk containing bird flu virus may lead to illness. In addition, touching your eyes, nose, or mouth with unwashed hands after touching raw milk with bird flu virus may also lead to infection.
Symptoms of bird flu infection in humans include eye redness or discharge, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, diarrhea, vomiting, muscle or body aches, headaches, fatigue, trouble breathing and fever. Anyone who has consumed these specific products, and is experiencing these symptoms, should immediately contact their health care provider or local health department.
California regularly tests raw milk
As part of the state’s bird flu response, testing of raw milk from dairies has been increased to help prevent raw milk consumers from getting the virus.
Once bird flu was found in California dairy herds, the California Department of Food and Agriculture began regular testing of raw milk in bulk tanks. In response to these recent positive tests from two retail raw milk batches, CDFA followed up with immediate additional sampling and testing at Raw Farm.
Pasteurized milk is safe to drink
Pasteurized milk is safe to drink. Pasteurization, one of the most significant scientific food safety discoveries in human history, is the process of heating milk to specific temperatures for a certain length of time to kill many microorganisms and enzymes that lead to spoilage and illness.
Pasteurization kills the bird flu virus and other harmful germs that can be found in raw milk. CDPH advises consumers not to drink raw milk or eat raw milk products due to the risk of foodborne illnesses.
About bird flu
Since early October, California has reported 29 confirmed human cases of bird flu, 28 of whom had direct contact with infected dairy cows. No person-to-person spread of bird flu has been detected in California or the U.S.
To date, all cases have reported mild symptoms (primarily eye infections), and none have been hospitalized.
Because bird flu viruses can change and gain the ability to spread more easily between people, public health officials have provided preventive measures and are monitoring animal and human infections carefully.
- Details
- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
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