NACHC backs a bipartisan House letter asking CMS to set telehealth payment parity for health centers and rural clinics

NACHC posted on July 24, 2026 that it supported a bipartisan congressional letter to CMS Administrator Mehmet Oz, led by Reps. GT Thompson (R-PA) and Jill Tokuda (D-HI) with 64 co-signers.

NACHC quotes the lawmakers writing that "medical telehealth visits are still subject to a temporary special payment methodology that reimburses well below PPS and AIR rates, despite comparable clinical work and practice costs" and that "this inconsistency undermines provider sustainability and limits continued investment in telehealth infrastructure relied upon by rural patients."

The letter asks CMS to "establish payment parity for medical telehealth visits administered by CHCs and RHCs." WHAT THIS IS AND IS NOT: this is a request from legislators to an agency, not a rule, a statute, or a change in any payment methodology.

Nothing about how a health center should code or submit a telehealth visit changes because of this letter. Its value is as a signal of the size of the bipartisan coalition on this specific ask (66 signers including the two leads) heading into the CY2027 Physician Fee Schedule cycle, which is the rulemaking vehicle where CMS would act if it chooses to.

NACHC's page links the letter PDF; the underlying letter text beyond NACHC's quoted passages was not independently retrieved for this item.