Sponsors (18)
Ask me why this bill matters.
This is not an official government website.
Copyright © 2026 PLEJ LC. All rights reserved.
Creates a pilot model that uses telehealth and other remote tools to link people on Medicare, Medicaid, and CHIP in rural or underserved areas with medical specialists, working closely with their primary care providers. The Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation must test this “Specialty Health Care Services Access Model,” define who can participate, and follow guardrails on funding. Provider networks must be nonprofit organizations experienced in serving rural and underserved communities. “Rural” will be defined using Health Resources and Services Administration standards.
Amend Section 1115A(b)(2) of the Social Security Act by modifying subparagraph (A) (third sentence) and adding a new clause (xxviii) in subparagraph (B) that references the new Specialty Health Care Services Access Model described in a new subsection (h).
Create a new subsection (h) establishing the 'Specialty Health Care Services Access Model' under which the Secretary may enter into agreements with one or more selected provider networks to furnish specialty health care services to eligible individuals using digital modalities (such as telehealth and other remote technologies) in coordination with the individuals’ primary care providers.
Require the Secretary to select one or more networks of providers to participate in the model. Each selected network must meet the selection criteria in paragraph (2).
Provider network composition requirement: each selected network must include at least 50 entities drawn from Federally qualified health centers, rural health clinics, critical access hospitals, or rural emergency hospitals, with at least half of those entities located in rural areas (as defined by the HRSA Administrator).
Nonprofit status requirement: each selected network must be a nonprofit entity under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986.
Medicare, Medicaid, and CHIP patients in rural or underserved areas gain easier access to specialists through telehealth and other remote technologies, coordinated with their primary care teams. This can reduce travel burdens, wait times, and gaps in specialty care.
Primary care providers and specialists will collaborate more closely via virtual connections. Nonprofit provider networks with a track record in rural or underserved care become central organizers, potentially partnering with clinics and hospitals. HRSA’s rural definitions guide where the model applies. CMMI oversees testing and funding within set guardrails, aiming to evaluate access, quality, and potential cost impacts. States and localities face no mandated costs; participation is voluntary for eligible networks.
Expand sections to see detailed analysis
EASE Act
Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on Ways and Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Introduced April 1, 2025 by Jodey Cook Arrington · Last progress April 1, 2025
Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on Ways and Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Introduced in House