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. 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: Sign up for an email alert about upcoming briefs. The briefs are also available from the RWJF's website. 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.
According to a new policy brief, telehealth could help 20 percent of US citizens that live in areas with physician shortages. So far, telehealth services have only been applied via Medicare at the federal level, with state level Medicaid telehealth services seeing a lack of uniform jurisdiction as they are controlled by each state individually. The policy brief analyzes the issues with implementing telehealth on a wider basis, including so-called parity laws that mandate private payers reimburse in the same way they would for in-person medical treatment.