AARP Mississippi Thanks Mississippi House of Representatives for Passing HB 1178

AARP Mississippi thanks the Mississippi House of Representatives for passing HB 1178 today. The bill now goes to the Senate. HB 1178 would help expand access to healthcare through telemedicine. It has the potential to improve the lives of patients, as well as their caregivers, across Mississippi.

As a new, promising tool for delivering care, telemedicine holds tremendous potential to eliminate barriers that hinder efforts to provide treatment and care. This is true not only for residents in rural, medically-underserved areas but for patients across the state who have issues with mobility and travel. AARP believes that telemedicine offers an option for coordinating and obtaining high-quality care that is practical, affordable and effective as not every medical condition warrants an arduous trip to an office, urgent care clinic or hospital emergency room.

“When you take into account that in Mississippi there are approximately 501,000 family caregivers providing $5.3 billion in unpaid care for their loved ones, telemedicine can play a meaningful role in helping not only patients, but also family caregivers who often times are providing the bulk of that patient’s care,” said Ivory Craig, AARP Mississippi Interim State Director. “Expanding the use of telemedicine could also help individuals and family caregivers access health care and long-term services and supports in new ways, allowing individuals to live independently in their homes and communities. It could make it easier for family caregivers, many of whom work full time, to care for their loved ones.”

Furthermore, telemedicine could make it easier for patients and family caregivers to access the information and instruction they need to perform the medical and nursing tasks they provide-- especially when their loved ones are discharged from the hospital. It also could make it easier for family caregivers to address their own needs whether it be physical, mental or emotional health.

To find out how you can get involved with AARP Mississippi’s advocacy work, call us at 1-866-554-5382 or email us at msaarp@aarp.org.