A new policy brief from Health Affairs and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation examines telehealth parity laws in the United States. With 20 percent of Americans living in areas that have physician shortages, telehealth could help these underserved US residents obtain access to care, to treat illnesses as well as monitor chronic conditions.
While the Affordable Care Act includes efforts to encourage telehealth services as part of health coverage, it has only been implemented at the federal level through Medicare. Which, if any, telehealth services are covered by Medicaid still remains within the powers of individual states, with great variations from state to state.
Telehealth parity laws would require reimbursement by health plans to providers at similar rates for services delivered in person or via telehealth. This policy brief looks at the obstacles telehealth faces in becoming a viable and cost-saving health care option for individuals and states.
About Health Policy Briefs
Health Policy Briefs are aimed at policymakers, congressional staffers, and others needing short, jargon-free explanations of health policy basics. The briefs, which are reviewed by experts in the field, include competing arguments on policy proposals and the relevant research supporting each perspective.
Previous Health Policy Briefs have addressed:
- Regulation of Health Plan Provider Networks. Narrow networks have changed considerably under the Affordable Care Act, but the trajectory of regulation remains unclear.
- Off-Label Drug Promotion. Drug companies are largely prohibited from promoting a drug for uses that have not been approved by the Food and Drug Administration.
- Ambulance Diversion. Efforts to mitigate ambulance diversion have been effective, but questions remain for future progress.
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Please feel free to forward the briefs to any of your colleagues who are tracking health issues. And after you’ve taken a look, we welcome your feedback.
