SPEAK Act of 2024

The original bill required a task force to convene within 180 days, submit an interim report at 1 year, a final report at 2 years, and annual reports thereafter. The engrossed version replaces all of this with a single deadline: HHS must issue guidance no later than 1 year after enactment.

The entire congressional findings section (Section 2) was removed, which had documented the lower telehealth use rates among patients with limited English proficiency and the cost savings from reduced travel.

The stakeholder consultation list was narrowed from 13 categories (including CMS, ONC, HRSA, Office of Minority Health, Office for Civil Rights, insurance companies, and 'any other entity determined necessary by the Secretary') to 7 categories focused on industry participants: health IT providers, health care providers, insurers, language service companies, interpreter associations, certification organizations, and patient advocates.

The original bill required HHS to convene a formal task force with 13 membership categories, issue a request for information, compile responses, and submit multiple reports to Congress. The engrossed version replaces this with a requirement that the Secretary issue guidance in consultation with entities from 7 categories.

Section 4, which required the Secretary to publish, publicize, and maintain a website providing best practices and resources for health care and technology providers, was removed entirely.

The short title year was updated from 2023 to 2024.