Telemedicine and Internet service

Hi Birdman,Thanks for putting this post up. The Epilepsy Foundation has been working hard to follow all the issues with telemedicine. I am sharing a summary of some things from our Advocacy department&nbsp;The Epilepsy Foundation advocates for all people with epilepsy to have access to quality, affordable, physician-directed and person-centered health care. With the COVID-19 pandemic, as you noted, how people access care is quite different. The Foundation has been advocating for and monitoring changes related to expanding access to care through telemedicine. Fortunately, Medicare has relaxed many typical restrictions to allow for most care to happen through telemedicine and private payers have largely followed suit. Medicaid already allowed for many health care services to be delivered through telemedicine.&nbsp;However, as you noted, just because the health insurer allows it does not mean people have access—which we have also been monitoring. The government realizes this and in some of the congressional COVID-19 relief packages that are now law, have included some provisions to help ensure that people have the internet capability in order to use telemedicine and other important aspects of remote life like distance learning. I’ve listed some of those provisions below.&nbsp;One of the best things you can do is that if you continue to have issues is to let your members of Congress know—they are likely monitoring such things in their district to inform future legislation. You can look up your elected officials through our Find Your Elected Officials tool&nbsp;which is on this website, on the righthand side. You can also learn more about all of&nbsp;our COVID-19-related advocacy on this webpage.&nbsp;<ul><li>$100 million for the ReConnect program to help ensure rural Americans have access to broadband.</li><li>$200 million for the Federal Communications Commission (FCC)’s Connected Care Pilot Program which supports efforts of health care providers to address COVID-19 by using telehealth to connect with patients.</li><li>$275 million for the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) including $185 to support rural critical access hospitals, rural tribal health and telehealth programs.</li><li>$3.1 billion for VA Facilities and IT Support for Telemedicine including some funding for the VA to expand the capacity on existing IT networks to address the demand in services, and broadens VA’s tele-ICU and teleradiology capabilities and increased capability for telehealth visits.</li><li>A HRSA grant program to promote the use of telehealth technologies for health care delivery, education, and health information services. Telehealth offers flexibility for patients with, or at risk of contracting, COVID-19 to access screening or monitoring care while avoiding exposure to others.</li><li>A HRSA grant programs that strengthens rural community health by focusing on quality improvement, increasing health care access, coordination of care, and integration of services. Rural residents are disproportionately older and more likely to have a chronic disease, which could increase their risk for more severe illness if they contract COVID-19.</li></ul>&nbsp;If you need help finding who your legislators are - visit www.advocacy.epilepsy.com.&nbsp;Hope this helps!&nbsp;Epihelp and the Advocacy Department&nbsp;&nbsp;