# Rural Telehealth Access Task Force Act

This bill creates a special task force to figure out why people in rural areas can't easily use telehealth services (doctor visits by video or phone) and what can be done about it. The core problem is that rural communities often lack the internet speed needed for telehealth, and even when they have internet, they may not know how to use these services or have the technology set up at their local hospitals and clinics.

The task force will bring together leaders from five major government agencies: the Federal Communications Commission, the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and the Commerce Department. These agencies will work together to identify what's blocking rural telehealth adoption, look for ways to prevent government programs from duplicating efforts or wasting money on overlapping broadband projects, and figure out how to better use existing government funding programs to expand internet access in rural areas. They'll also study whether better telehealth access could help reduce health problems that are more common in rural communities.

Within 18 months, the task force must report back to Congress with their findings and recommendations. This affects rural Americans who currently struggle to access specialists or regular medical care because they live far from hospitals, as well as rural hospitals and clinics that want to offer telehealth but lack the infrastructure. It also matters to internet service providers and government agencies that fund broadband projects, since the task force will help coordinate their efforts to avoid wasting money on overlapping initiatives. Essentially, this bill is a fact-finding mission to solve a real problem: rural patients and providers being left behind in the telehealth revolution.

Rural Telehealth Access Task Force Act

Pence, Greg

Rural Telehealth Access Task Force Act This bill establishes the Rural Telehealth Access Task Force to identify, evaluate, and recommend ways to increase adoption of telehealth services and access to broadband internet in rural areas.