Sponsors (2)
The bill expands telehealth capacity and access—especially for rural patients and community providers—through targeted grant funding, but it requires new federal spending (~$210M over five years) and relies on future appropriations, creating fiscal cost and funding uncertainty for grantees.
Hospitals, community health centers, and patients with chronic conditions will receive federal grants ($42.05M/year, FY2026–2030) to support telehealth networks and resource centers, expanding access to remote care and specialist consultations.
Rural communities will have strengthened telehealth infrastructure, improving continuity of care and access to specialists where in-person services are scarce.
Taxpayers will fund up to $210.25 million in new authorized spending over five years to support these grants.
If Congress does not appropriate the authorized amounts, hospitals, community health centers, and rural programs may remain underfunded, creating uncertainty for grantees and potentially limiting program impact.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Authorizes $42,050,000 per year for FY2026–FY2030 for the program located at 42 U.S.C. 254c–14(q) and restructures that subsection into two paragraphs.
Authorizes $42,050,000 per year for fiscal years 2026 through 2030 for the federal program currently located at 42 U.S.C. 254c–14(q), and restructures that statutory subsection into two numbered paragraphs. The bill changes the text layout to add a new paragraph and explicitly sets the annual authorization level for the five-year period, but it does not itself appropriate funds.
Introduced May 14, 2025 by David G. Valadao · Last progress April 22, 2026