Pasco Reporter

Last night, the House passed two key healthcare bills authored by Congressman Gus Bilirakis. These measures aim to preserve the Medicaid program and improve access to telehealth services.

Representative Bilirakis’s Leveraging Integrity and Verification of Eligibility for (LIVE) Beneficiaries Act mandates that states check the Social Security Administration’s Death Master File database quarterly to verify that Medicaid patients are not deceased. According to a recent Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Inspector General report, an audit of 14 states revealed over $249 million in improper Medicaid capitation payments were made to Managed Care Organizations (MCOs) on behalf of deceased enrollees. “As we work to ensure the long-term solvency of critical safety net programs, we have an obligation to ensure we are serving as good stewards of taxpayer dollars,” said Congressman Bilirakis. “This means we must always prevent fraud, waste, and abuse. By implementing simple safeguards like the ones in my bill, we can strengthen these programs and help ensure they are meeting their intended purpose of providing access to quality care for our most vulnerable citizens.”

The second priority, Expanding Language Access in Telehealth Act, aims to improve telehealth services by directing HHS to develop best practices for language access for Medicare beneficiaries with unique needs, such as patients in rural communities and those with disabilities when seeking behavioral health care via video-based and audio-only telehealth. “We’ve seen in recent years how valuable telehealth can be for expanding access to critical behavioral health treatment,” noted Rep. Bilirakis. “However, it has become apparent that some seniors need additional support in order to fully utilize this tool in an effective manner. It is not enough to simply provide access to treatment, which is why our bill goes a step further and ensures that providers and patients receive the training and support they need to take full advantage of this essential tool.” This bill passed as part of the SPEAK Act, a larger package promoting patient telehealth education and knowledge.