Capital Building
In the run-up to an election year, a lot of praiseworthy legislation gets stalled in committee. That’s exactly what’s happened to Senate bill S1465 dubbed the “FAST Act”, which stands for “Furthering Access To Stroke Telemedicine” – a bill introduced by Sen. Mark Kirk (R-Illinois). There’s a similar bill in the House that’s also bottled up in committee.
The FAST Act would require Medicare to expand access to telestroke services regardless of the originating site. Medicare currently only reimburses for telestroke evaluations if the patient presents at a rural hospital, yet an estimated 94 percent of stroke patients present at either urban or surburban hospitals.
In a letter endorsing the bill, American Heart/Stroke Association president Mark Creager estimates that the FAST Act could result in net savings of $1.2 billion over ten years.
Nearly 800,000 Americans experience a stroke each year, and you’d think that Congress would expedite any legislation intended to help them. But that costs money – and lawmakers would prefer to kick the can as long as possible.
In recent years, Congress has gotten clogged with downright silly bills (creating a national jaywalking database for example). It’s a shame that something like the FAST Act – which can save countless lives and $100 million per year – remains in limbo when the Boys Town Commemorative Coin Act sails through.
Sen. John Thune (R-South Dakota) has signed on as a FAST Act co-sponsor, and we encourage lawmakers from both parties to join him. This is no time for business as usual. The FAST Act doesn’t deserve to die a slow death in committee.
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