President Trump signs executive order regarding telehealth services

President Trump during a press conference on Monday discussed his administration's efforts to expand access to telehealth services. Among those efforts is an executive order that seeks to improve those services for people living in rural areas of the U.S.

The Associated Press reported that Medicare has expanded telehealth coverage amid the coronavirus pandemic. The president's executive order calls for the Secretary of Health and Human Services to propose a regulation that would allow the continuation of such expansions after the conclusion of the public health crisis. The order also calls for the creation of a plan "to improve rural health by improving the physical and communications healthcare infrastructure available to rural Americans."

The AP reported that the Trump "administration has regulatory authority to permanently expand some services in rural areas, but Congress must sign off on a broader program that would make telehealth a regular option for people living in cities and suburbs."

The president during the press conference offered some positive news regarding the public health crisis.

"We're beginning to see evidence of significant progress," he said. "Nationwide the number of positive cases has declined by nearly 6 percent from the week before and the positive test rate has also dropped from 8.7 to 8 percent over that same period of time, an encouraging sign."

Trump reiterated his opposition to locking down the nation, and encouraged people to take precautions and to protect older people.

"It's important for all Americans to recognize that a permanent lockdown is not a viable path toward producing the result that you want, or certainly not a viable path forward and would ultimately inflict more harm than it would prevent," he said.