Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney introduced the Advancing Telehealth Beyond COVID-19 Act of 2021with Michigan Democratic Rep. Debbie Dingell. The bill is designed to keep telehealth accessible and easy for providers and their patients.
During the pandemic, rules like the ability to use smart devices or your own computer to connect with a provider that might be thousands of miles away, were relaxed. Jackson lawmaker Mike Yin said it's a good idea to make those permanent.
"It's one of the things that this emergency allowed us to start doing, to try it out and realize that, look, it's something that we should have, we should be doing permanently," said Yin.
Telehealth depends on broadband to function, which Wyoming still struggles with in certain rural areas.
"The effectiveness of telehealth cannot be fully realized until that does happen," he said. "So I'm hoping it could be a driver to push for more broadband penetration in places that we don't have it yet."
The Wyoming Hospital Association and the Wyoming Primary Care Association are in support of the bill.