Expand telehealth services and invest in broadband infrastructure to connect patients with providers, regardless of distance
Expand telehealth services and invest in broadband infrastructure to connect patients with providers regardless of distance.
Occurrences
Evidence
The 118th Congress Congressional Record index for Ami Bera lists an entry for "expand access to telehealth services (see H.R. 4189)," showing he actively pushed telehealth expansion in Congress.
Bera's FY2026 community project requests include the North Sacramento Technology Center, described as a "transformative digital equity hub" providing technology access, workforce development, educational programming, and public infrastructure investment.
Assessments
The promise had two linked federal outcomes: telehealth expansion and broadband/connectivity investment. Bera materially advanced telehealth expansion through federal legislation, including later-term congressional work tied to H.R. 4189, and backed connectivity/digital-access investments through appropriations requests. More broadly, Congress enacted major telehealth expansions during the COVID-19 period and major broadband infrastructure investments later through federal legislation while Bera remained in the House. Because the broadband/connectivity component is best shown as later-term delivery rather than fully completed in the 2019-2021 term, the timing is later_term. Candidate credit is sufficient for delivery because he was an active federal legislator supporting and advancing the policy area, though not the sole actor.