MSSP 2024 Application: Phase 1

February 5, 2018 The Honorable Mitch McConnell Majority Leader U.S. Senate Washington, DC 20510	The Honorable Chuck Schumer Minority Leader U.S. Senate Washington, DC 20510
The Honorable Paul Ryan Speaker of the House U.S. House of Representatives Washington, DC 20515	The Honorable Nancy Pelosi Minority Leader U.S. House of Representatives Washington, DC 20515

Dear Leader McConnell, Leader Schumer, Speaker Ryan, and Leader Pelosi:

Digital health technology is transforming health care. Modernizing Medicare to ensure seniors and medical providers have access to these tools is an important priority. We urge you to include a package of bipartisan, bicameral legislation in the upcoming funding bill that would add telehealth and remote patient monitoring to the basic Medicare Advantage benefit, expand Medicare coverage for telestroke, and ease the restrictions on telemedicine to treat kidney patients in their homes.

In addition to the significant body of evidence demonstrating that telehealth can reduce costs, improve outcomes and expand access to care for seniors, these provisions have already passed the Senate unanimously, and been approved by the House Ways and Means and Energy and Commerce Committees.

Now is the time to act to ensure that seniors are able to realize the benefits of digital technologies to manage their health care.

Thank you.

Sincerely,

CC:         Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orin Hatch
               Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden
               House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Greg Walden
               House Energy and Commerce Committee Ranking Member Frank Pallone
               House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Kevin Brady
               House Ways and Means Committee Ranking Member Richard Neal