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HR 197118th CongressFailed / ExpiredHouse

Rural Telehealth Expansion Act

Policy Area: Health
View on Congress.gov
Origin Chamber
House
Last Updated
Dec 21, 2024
Latest Action Date
Dec 17, 2024

Latest Action

Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.

Official Summary

Official summary has not been imported yet.

GovScope Watchdog™

AI Government Intelligence™
Executive Summary

The Rural Telehealth Expansion Act (H.R. 197) is a legislative proposal introduced in the 118th Congress aimed at expanding telehealth services in rural areas. The bill was referred to the Subcommittee on Health but did not advance further and ultimately failed or expired. The bill's text and official summary are not available, limiting detailed analysis. The policy area is health, focusing on improving access to healthcare through telehealth technologies in rural communities.

Bottom Line

H.R. 197 sought to enhance telehealth access in rural areas but did not progress beyond initial referral and expired without becoming law.

Policy Risk Level
🟡 Medium
Neutral Risk Assessment
Key Points
  • The bill focuses on expanding telehealth services specifically in rural areas.
  • It was introduced in the House during the 118th Congress and referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
  • No official summary or full text is available, and the bill status is 'Failed / Expired'.
Who Benefits?

['Rural residents who may gain improved access to healthcare services via telehealth.', 'Healthcare providers serving rural communities.', 'Potentially health agencies involved in telehealth program implementation.']

Potential Concerns

['Lack of available bill text and summary limits understanding of specific provisions and funding mechanisms.', 'Implementation challenges related to infrastructure and technology in rural areas.', 'Oversight and authority details are unknown due to missing full bill text.', 'Costs and budgetary impact cannot be assessed without detailed provisions.']

Political Context

The bill was introduced in the House during the 118th Congress and referred to the Subcommittee on Health on December 17, 2024. It did not advance further and expired, indicating limited legislative momentum or prioritization within the current Congress. The focus on rural telehealth aligns with ongoing policy discussions about improving healthcare access in underserved areas.

Hidden Impact Review

Hidden impact flags detected: 1

GovScope reviewed 1 policy-risk categories. Hover for a quick definition. Click detected flags for bill-specific details.

1 Detected
Detected Flags
Indirect Effects

['Potential improvement in rural healthcare access if telehealth infrastructure and services are expanded.', 'Possible increased demand on rural healthcare providers to adopt telehealth technologies.', 'Could influence future legislation on telehealth and rural health services by highlighting access gaps.']

GovScope Watchdog Notes

The absence of an official summary and full bill text significantly limits transparency and public understanding of the bill's specific provisions and potential impacts. This lack of information poses challenges for oversight and informed debate. Monitoring similar future bills for detailed disclosures will be important for government transparency.

Passage Likelihood: LowConfidence: 60%Model: gpt-4.1-mini

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