Bipartisan bill would ensure continued access to telehealth services
The Telehealth Expansion Act would make permanent a waiver created by the CARES Act to allow workers with HSAs to access telehealth services without first having to meet their deductible.
Consumers with health saving accounts and high-deducible health plans would be able to continue to access telehealth services without having to meet their minimum deductible under legislation reintroduced in Congress last week.
“During the COVID-19 pandemic, telehealth became an important tool used by families, seniors and rural communities to access quality, affordable health care,” said Rep. Michelle Steel, R-Calif. “The expiration of the CARES Act provision will negatively impact more than 32 million HSA enrollees and 20% of the American workforce who currently enjoy the option to utilize telehealth. I am proud to lead this commonsense bipartisan measure to permanently expand access to telemedicine.”
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The Telehealth Expansion Act would make permanent a waiver created by the CARES Act, which was signed into law during the pandemic in March 2020. It allowed individuals to choose and purchase the use of telehealth services outside their high-deductible health plan without affecting their HSA eligibility. An extension of the waiver was included in the most recent end-of-year omnibus bill, along with other telehealth extension provisions, but is set to expire at the end of 2024.
The standalone telehealth benefits would operate similarly to dental and vision benefits, remaining separate from health care plans.
The bill was sponsored in the House by Steel, Susie Lee (D-Nev.) and Brad Schneider, D-Ill., and in the Senate by Steve Daines (R-Mont.), and Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.).
“Millions of families rely on telehealth services to access the care they need,” Lee said. “We should be making it easier, not harder, for families to use this critical health care tool. However, this access is on a deadline, and we cannot allow it to expire.
“Instead of taking an avoidable step backward, it’s time to take a strong step forward and make telehealth access permanent by passing the Telehealth Expansion Act. Nevadans and all Americans should have every tool they need to access the health care services they rely on — and that’s just what this bill does.” Numerous organizations, including the American Benefits Council, America’s Health Insurance Plans and the ERISA Industry Committee, support the legislation.
“Telehealth helps ensure Montanans in every corner of our state have access to the care they need,” Daines said. “Especially in rural states like Montana, we should be working to expand telehealth, not cut access when folks have come to depend on these resources.”