Some senators have sent a letter to President Biden to criticizing the leaked proposed DEA’s plans to restrict telemedicine options, saying “it is vital that any new regulations do not erect barriers to necessary, life-saving care.”
The senators who signed the letter are: Sheldon Whitehouse, Lisa Murkowski, Mark R. Warner, Marsha Blackburn, Peter Welch, Ben Ray Luján, Jeffrey A. Merkley, Ron Wyden, Angus S. King, Jr, Mark Kelly, Martin Heinrich.
If any of them were my senator, I would be writing and thanking them — this is the letter I’m sending to my senators and the White House:
I’m disappointed to hear that the DEA plans to restrict access to telehealth options. Telemedicine is medicine, and I agree with the senators who said: “it is vital that any new regulations do not erect barriers to necessary, life-saving care.” in the October 11, 2024 letter to the White House. Please act in preservation of telehealth prescribing of medicine classed as controlled substances. Mental health conditions and substance use disorders are considered covid risk factors, and many risk factor conditions require the use of controlled prescriptions. https://www.cdc.gov/covid/risk-factors/index.html It’s essential for people who have disabilities, people who have difficulty traveling to in-person appointments, live in rural areas with few options close to home, and those who want or need to avoid preventable exposure to constantly circulating potentially dangerous infectious disease, by having the option of a televisit when no in-person physical examination is needed.
Please feel free to copy or repurpose for your own letters to reps.
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