Telemedicine and Certificate of Need Laws: Tested and Trusted Reforms Should Be Made Permanent

Jun 3, 2020 by AFP

NASHVILLE, TN – Americans for Prosperity-Tennessee (AFP-TN) today announced the launch of a robust, statewide mail and digital campaign focused on helping reform Tennessee’s health care system. The group is targeting temporary reforms that were enacted to help those impacted by COVID-19 and ensure those reforms are made permanent.

AFP-TN’s ad campaign will initially focus on expanding telemedicine access by passing House Bill 1699 and lifting certificate-of-need restrictions by passing HB 2350 and SB 2312.

View the digital ad here.

View the mailer here.

AFP-TN State Director Tori Venable issued the following statement:

“Over the past two months, we have seen how Governor Lee’s implementation of telemedicine and repealing our state’s burdensome certificate-of-need laws saved people’s lives during this public health crisis. When government gets out of the way, our health care system is better prepared to handle emergencies and help patients get the care whenever they need it.

“Empowering medical professionals to deliver more care without a government permission slip and health care innovation like telemedicine should be made permanent. Lawmakers should not miss this opportunity to reimagine health care and help keep these tested and trusted reforms available for Tennesseans.”

Background:

The campaign is part of a multi-million dollar national effort that includes advertising, digital outreach, lobbying, and grassroots engagement from Americans for Prosperity (AFP)’s 2.2 million activists. AFP’s campaign details a positive vision for health care that focuses on facilitating immediate, meaningful improvements to America’s health care system.

A poll conducted in March by YouGov and AFP found that 83% of Americans want health care professionals to have more flexibility in providing health care as they and their patients see fit. View the survey questions here.

The poll also found that after respondents were presented with information about emergency measures, Americans support changes to our health care system that grant medical professionals greater flexibility in providing care and responding to COVID-19. Click here to view the full results.

58% Of Americans agree health care rules and regulations previously prevented doctors, nurses, and medical professionals from helping people.
83% Of Americans agree America’s health care professionals should have more flexibility to provide health care as they and their patients see fit.
78% Of Americans support relaxing health care restrictions to give more flexibility to doctors, nurses, and researchers who are fighting coronavirus.

AFP has identified four immediate policy priorities that need fast action to ensure patients continue to get access to the care they need: (1) Making telehealth an option for all Americans and removing occupational licensing and scope of practice restrictions that prevent doctors and nurses from seeing patients; (2) making permanent the recent moves by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that enable rapid deployment of testing, treatment, and prevention; (3) letting patients access promising experimental treatments that have already been proven safe; and (4) empaneling a BRAC-style commission to make additional reforms that remove similar restrictions to further strengthen America’s health care system.