Bill > S1248

This bill, known as the EASE Act (Ensuring Access to Specialty Care Everywhere Act), aims to improve healthcare access for Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries in rural and underserved areas by establishing a new Specialty Health Care Services Access Model through the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation. The model would create provider networks consisting of at least 50 healthcare facilities (such as rural health clinics, federally qualified health centers, and critical access hospitals), with at least half located in rural areas, to provide specialty healthcare services using digital technologies like telehealth. Eligible individuals would include Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries located in rural or underserved areas, and the selected provider networks must be nonprofit organizations with proven experience supporting healthcare delivery in these communities. The networks would use remote technologies to deliver specialty care services in coordination with patients' primary care providers, with the ultimate goal of expanding medical access for populations that typically have limited healthcare options. The bill requires these provider networks to have the capability to collect and evaluate data related to the model's implementation and effectiveness.

Budget and Finance

https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/1248/all-info