H.R. 6163: Medicare Telehealth Enhancement Act of 2008
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H.R. 6163: Medicare Telehealth Enhancement Act of 2008
110th Congress · introduced 2008-05-22 · Health · Latest: Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
federal
Follow this bill, step by step
- Where it came from: introduced 2008-05-22 · official record
- Who proposed it: Rep. Thompson, Mike [D-CA-1] · what a sponsor is
- What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
- Where it stands now: Referred to the Subcommittee on Health. Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
- If it becomes law and spends money: follow the money to money laws, then agencies and contracts and grants.
Official title
Medicare Telehealth Enhancement Act of 2008
Plain summary
Medicare Telehealth Enhancement Act of 2008 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act regarding telehealth services (furnished via a telecommunication system by a physician to an enrolled individual). Removes current geographic restrictions on the provision of such services. Adds to the types of facilities authorized to participate in the telehealth program. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to encourage and facilitate the adoption of state reciprocity agreements for practitioner licensure in order to expedite the provision of telehealth services across state lines. Directs the Secretary to include as a home health visit for Medicare purposes telehealth services furnished an individual by a home health agency. Provides for coverage of remote patient management services, including home health remote patient management services, for certain chronic health conditions. Directs the Secretary to establish a demonstration project to evaluate the impact and benefits of covering remote patient management services for certain chronic health conditions. Directs the Secretary, acting through the Director of the Office for the Advancement of Telehealth (of the Health Resources and Services Administration), to make grants to expand access via telehealth to health care services for individuals in medically underserved rural, frontier, and urban areas. Amends the Public Health Service Act to reauthorize telehealth network and telehealth resource centers grant programs.
Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.
What a vote does
A “Yea” vote
If it passes both chambers and is signed, it becomes law.
A “Nay” vote
If it is not passed, current law stays as it is.
PSI Sci description of the legislative step (not an opinion).
What does this mean? (plain words)
Official text
Medicare Telehealth Enhancement Act of 2008
Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)
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The strongest published arguments
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Alternatives
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How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes
Officials and money
Sponsor: Rep. Thompson, Mike [D-CA-1] · 14 cosponsors
Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.
Cosponsors on this site
Peter Welch (D-VT), Robert J. Wittman (R-VA), James P. McGovern (D-MA), Janice D. Schakowsky (D-IL), Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (D-GA), Doris O. Matsui (D-CA)
Sponsor's campaign money: Rep. Thompson, Mike [D-CA-1] reported raising $5.5 million (2025–2026). Details. Shown for context only; it does not mean any donor supported this bill.
No linked floor roll calls in our collected records yet. This does not mean the bill has never had a vote. Check the official bill history.
Words on this page, explained (2)
- Authorization
- A law that creates or continues a government program and says what it may do, often with a suggested spending ceiling. An authorization alone does not provide money; a separate appropriation does.
- Securities
- Financial investments that can be bought and sold, such as stocks and bonds.
Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.
Sources
- Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)
- Congress.gov
- Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-110hr6163.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/110/hr>
Record fed-us-cong110-hr6163 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong110 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong110