Text: SCR00014 Text: SCR00016 Text: SCR00000 - SCR00099 Text: SCR Index Bills and Amendments: General Index Bill History: General Index
PAG LIN
1 1 SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO.
1 2 BY COMMITTEE ON COMMUNICATIONS AND
1 3 INFORMATION POLICY
1 4 (SUCCESSOR TO SSB 86)
1 5 A Concurrent Resolution requesting that the Congress
1 6 of the United States direct the Health Care Financ-
1 7 ing Administration to establish a national policy
1 8 no later than July 1, 1995, for Medicare reimburse-
1 9 ment of telemedicine services.
1 10 WHEREAS, telemedicine services can attract
1 11 physicians to rural areas, eliminating provider
1 12 isolation through readily available opportunities for
1 13 geographically convenient, continuing education and
1 14 access to medical information sources and specialists
1 15 across the state and throughout the nation, thereby
1 16 positively impacting the problem of medical provider
1 17 shortage areas; and
1 18 WHEREAS, telemedicine services enable patients to
1 19 remain in their home communities and hospitals for
1 20 medical care, eliminating the costs of duplicative
1 21 testing and personnel as well as potential threats to
1 22 patient stability due to multiple transfers; and
1 23 WHEREAS, the projected cost savings for patients
1 24 and medical care providers would ultimately result in
1 25 lower costs to state and federal governments and
1 26 taxpayers; and
1 27 WHEREAS, implementation of telemedicine is
1 28 dependent upon economics involving high initial
1 29 capital expenditures that many Iowa hospitals,
1 30 especially in rural communities, are unable to afford;
2 1 and
2 2 WHEREAS, the Congress of the United States has
2 3 expressly prohibited the Health Care Financing
2 4 Administration from providing reimbursement for
2 5 procedures or services not yet proven safe or
2 6 clinically effective, and telemedicine is currently
2 7 considered to be experimental; and
2 8 WHEREAS, all Iowans will benefit from increased
2 9 access to health care services and the lower costs
2 10 resulting from the widespread use of telemedicine; NOW
2 11 THEREFORE,
2 12 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE, THE HOUSE OF
2 13 REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING, That the General Assembly
2 14 of the State of Iowa respectfully requests that the
2 15 Congress of the United States direct the Health Care
2 16 Financing Administration to establish a national
2 17 policy that will promote Medicare reimbursement of
2 18 telemedicine services by no later than July 1, 1995;
2 19 and
2 20 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That copies of this
2 21 resolution be transmitted to the Speaker of the United
2 22 States House of Representatives, the President of the
2 23 United States Senate, and all members of the Iowa
2 24 congressional delegation.
2 25 SCR 15
2 26 mj/cc/26
Text: SCR00014 Text: SCR00016 Text: SCR00000 - SCR00099 Text: SCR Index Bills and Amendments: General Index Bill History: General Index
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