health care clinicians. (5) Telehealth increases access to care in areas with workforce shortages and for individuals who live far away from health care facilities, have limited mobility or transportation, or have other barriers to accessing care. (6) The use of health technologies can strengthen the expertise of the health care workforce, including by connecting clinicians to specialty consultations. (7) Prior to the COVID–19 pandemic, the utilization of telehealth services in the Medicare program under title XVIII of the Social Security Act ( 42 U.S.C. 1395 et seq. ) was low, accounting for 0.1 percent of Medicare Part B visits in 2019. (8) Telehealth now represents a critical component of care delivery. As of February 2023, 15 percent of Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries have had a telehealth service in the past quarter. (9) Long-term certainty about coverage of telehealth services under the Medicare program is necessary to fully realize the benefits of telehealth. (b) Sense of Congress It is the sense of Congress that— (1) health care providers can furnish safe, effective, and high-quality health care services through telehealth