More Health Care Approved

Working in the state Legislature is hard, and it’s supposed to be. Our founding fathers never intended for changing laws to be an easy endeavor. That is why I will head home to Kansas City with a feeling of accomplishment this weekend, as the weeks of hard work have paid off and Senate Bill 94 has been passed by the Senate. 

This is legislation I filed to clean up Missouri’s current laws surrounding telehealth services and give more people access to quality health care. The new law would clarify that health care providers cannot be limited in their methods of performing telemedicine. In other words, the experts in the medical process, the providers, feel that a phone call allows them to provide quality care to their patient, it is to be considered the same as an on-camera or in-person meeting. 

I am extremely proud that this bill passed the Senate unanimously. This bill is good for all Missourians and I’m glad all my colleagues agree. There are so many across the state who do not have adequate internet service, computers or phones to allow for video appointments, and there are so many rural communities losing their local health care options. The Senate agreed, as a whole, that if we can create more options for people to receive quality care faster, it is a good change for the state. 

While getting my first bill passed as a Missouri senator is a monumental achievement, it energizes me more than anything else. I am ready to keep fighting for more commonsense legislation like this and make Missouri even better. 

I hope to send more updates like this in the future. Have a good weekend and enjoy the taste of spring! 

Contact Me

I always appreciate hearing your comments, opinions and concerns. Please feel free to contact me in Jefferson City at 573-751-6607. You may write me at Patty Lewis, Missouri Senate, State Capitol, Rm 425, Jefferson City, MO 65101, send an email to Patty.Lewis@senate.mo.gov or visit www.senate.mo.gov/Lewis.