Lawmakers sparred June 26 over how to pay for digital health tools during a House Ways and Means Health Subcommittee hearing, Politico reported.
Here are four things to know:
- Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has prioritized digital health and AI as key tools to reduce chronic illness and bring down costs. But Democrats say the Republican-led healthcare plan — particularly proposed Medicaid cuts in President Donald Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” — would threaten access to those very innovations.
- The core of the debate is money. Without coverage, experts warned, patients can’t benefit from new health technologies — and providers won’t be able to afford them either.
- To address the issue, lawmakers floated several ideas, including: having Medicare and Medicaid set and raise reimbursement rates for some digital technologies; expanding health savings accounts so people can use them to buy wearables such as Oura Rings and WHOOP bands; and reviewing how Medicaid cuts could affect physicians’ ability to use AI tools.
- The next step remains unclear, according to the report. House Republicans are pushing to include a health savings account expansion in their sweeping healthcare package, but Senate Republicans are hesitant over budget concerns.
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