H.R. 3419, an act to amend the Public Health Service Act to reauthorize the telehealth network and telehealth resource centers grant programs

H.R. 3419 would authorize the appropriation of $42 million each year from 2026 through 2030 for the Health Resources and Services Administration to administer grant programs for telehealth networks and telehealth resource centers. Those programs provide grants to expand access to telehealth services, improve quality of care, and provide technical assistance and training, particularly in rural and medically underserved areas. In 2026, lawmakers allocated $46 million for those purposes.

Because the 2026 appropriation extended the authority for those programs through 2026, CBO’s estimate of the budgetary effects of H.R. 3419 reflects only the amounts that the act would authorize to be appropriated after 2026. Assuming appropriation of those amounts and using historical spending patterns for similar activities, CBO estimates that implementing the act would cost $157 million over the 2026-2031 period and $7 million after 2031.

The estimated budgetary effects of the legislation are shown in Table 1. The costs of the legislation fall within budget function 550 (health).

The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Ravza Aykan. The estimate was reviewed by Chad Chirico, Director of Budget Analysis.