EASE Act

This bill would have the federal health innovation office test a new way to deliver specialty care to people on Medicare, Medicaid, or CHIP who live in rural or underserved areas. Care would be provided through telehealth and other remote tools, working alongside each person’s primary care doctor to make it easier to see specialists without long trips.

The Health and Human Services Secretary would pick one or more nonprofit provider networks to run the test. Each network must include at least 50 clinics or small hospitals (like federally qualified health centers, rural health clinics, critical access hospitals, or rural emergency hospitals), with at least half located in rural areas. These networks must already serve rural and underserved communities in many regions and be able to collect and analyze data for the model. Any funding used must follow existing federal rules for community health programs.

Key points

• Who is affected: Medicare, Medicaid, and CHIP patients in rural or underserved areas; nonprofit networks of clinics and small hospitals; primary and specialty care providers.
• What changes: Tests a “Specialty Health Care Services Access Model” using telehealth and other remote technologies, coordinated with patients’ primary care providers. Networks must meet size, location, nonprofit, experience, and data standards.
• When: The bill directs the test to occur, but a start date is not specified in the text provided.