Alliance Co-Leads Letter in Support of the Telehealth Benefit Expansion for Workers Act

The Alliance for Connected Care co-led a letter signed by more than 40 organizations in support of the Telehealth Benefit Expansion for Workers Act of 2023 (H.R. 824), which would permanently treat telehealth services as an excepted benefit.

During the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE), the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Treasury stated that they would not enforce any penalties if employers wanted to offer telehealth services to their employees who were not eligible for employer-sponsored group health insurance, such as seasonal or part-time workers, for the duration of the PHE. The eased rules allow relief for plan years utilizing this flexibility starting before the end of the PHE. The letter urges Congress to make this flexibility permanent. With the PHE set to end on May 11, passage of this legislation is essential to providing certainty and ensuring expanded, long-term access to these services.

This legislation will ensure hardworking employees, retirees, and their families can access high-quality, cost-effective care when and where they need it most, regardless of employment status. It is our hope that the bipartisan nature of the bill, the need to address this issue with the imminent end of the PHE, widespread support among stakeholders, and the common-sense approach to increasing access to virtual care for employees will propel this legislation forward and ensure quick passage. We urge Congress to take swift action to pass this legislation.

To read the letter, click here or see below: