In a letter submitted on May 7, the American Hospital Association (AHA) called on Congress to extend the Affordable Connectivity Program. This program is crucial for patients to access important healthcare services such as telehealth, hospital at home, patient portals, electronic patient records, virtual scheduling, and remote patient monitoring.
The AHA emphasized the critical role that the Affordable Connectivity Program plays in supporting equitable access to healthcare. The program provides eligible households with discounts of $30 per month towards internet service, with qualifying households in tribal lands receiving up to $75 per month in benefits. Without legislative action, these benefits would decrease to $14 this month before completely expiring in June.
Without affordable high-speed internet access, patients are unable to receive quality healthcare services. The current environment where telehealth has become increasingly important highlights this even more. Congress needs to take action and extend the Affordable Connectivity Program to prevent disruptions in patient care and ensure continued access to affordable high-speed internet for all patients.