Alliance Leads More than 185 Organizations in a Letter Supporting the Telehealth Expansion Act
The Alliance for Connected Care led 188 organizations in a letter urging House Ways & Means Committee leaders to advance the Telehealth Expansion Act of 2023 (H.R. 1843/S. 1001) to the full House of Representatives for consideration.
The Telehealth Expansion Act of 2023 is a bipartisan, bicameral bill that would make permanent the pandemic-era policy that enabled employers to provide telehealth services on a pre-deductible basis to individuals with high-deductible health plans coupled with a health savings account (HDHP-HSA). The bill would ensure this critical telehealth flexibility continues for the more than 32 million Americans with these plans on a permanent basis beyond the current extension through December 31, 2024. This commonsense policy has helped ensure families could access vital telehealth services – including virtual primary care and behavioral health services – prior to having to meet their deductible. In fact, according to a survey by the Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI), about 96 percent of employers adopted pre-deductible coverage for telehealth services as a result of this pandemic-era provision.
The letter supported a successful effort in advocating for the favorable reporting of this bill out of the House Ways & Means Committee during a markup of the bill on June 7, 2023. See the Alliance statement here.
For more information and the Alliance’s advocacy on this policy, please click here.
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Open in new tab Statement on the Telehealth Expansion Act of 2023
The Alliance for Connected Care is pleased to support the Telehealth Expansion Act of 2023 (H.R. 1843/S. 1001) and applauds Representatives Steel (R-CA), Lee (D-NV), Smith (R-NE), and Schneider (D-IL) and Senators Daines (R-MT) and Cortez Masto (D-NV) for their leadership in introducing this bipartisan, bicameral legislation.
This bill would make permanent the CARES Act authority allowing employers and health plans to cover telehealth visits for individuals with high-deductible health plans coupled with a health savings account (HDHP-HSA) before having to meet their deductible. This flexibility has been critical to ensuring American families could maintain access to a range of affordable virtual care services on a pre-deductible basis throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, and is currently extended through December 31, 2024 as a result of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023.
There are more than 32 million Americans with HDHP-HSAs. More than 50 percent of individuals with an HSA live in zip codes where the median income is below $75,000 annually. Reaching the deductible threshold of $1,400 for an individual and $2,800 for a family is often a financial strain. Allowing employers to offer pre-deductible coverage of telehealth services for employees with HDHP-HSAs provides meaningful access to health care services before the deductible is met.
These policies are also popular among patients and plan sponsors in the commercial market. For example, a 2021 survey of health plans found that the top services most likely to improve patient satisfaction if covered pre-deductible for individuals with an HDHP-HSA were primary care visits (81 percent) and the permanent ability to offer telehealth services (64 percent).
“Millions of Americans spend thousands of dollars of their own money on medical services before their insurance kicks in. Even with the benefit of tax exclusion, high deductibles are a struggle for many individuals and families. Why wouldn’t we want to allow employers to cover telehealth, including primary care and mental health services, immediately regardless of deductible? It’s access to health care, plain and simple,” said Krista Drobac, Executive Director of the Alliance for Connected Care. “The Alliance for Connected Care is proud to support the Telehealth Expansion Act, which will ensure individuals with HDHP-HSAs continue to have ready access to virtual-care services on a permanent basis.”
The Alliance was please to lead a stakeholder letter in support of this bill, which had more than 185 organizations sign on in support. The letter supported a successful effort in advocating for the favorable reporting of this bill out of the House Ways & Means Committee during a markup of the bill on June 7, 2023.
For more information and the Alliance’s advocacy on this policy, please click here.
Alliance Support Letter for Nevada Assembly Bill 198
The Alliance submitted a letter of support to Elaine Marzola, Chair of the Assembly Committee on Commerce and Labor in the Nevada State Legislature, for Assembly Bill 198.
The bill would adopt the Uniform Telehealth Act in the State of Nevada. The Uniform Telehealth Act would provide the state with the clear guidance and framework needed to facilitate the delivery of services via telehealth consistent with the standard of care of the state in which the patient is located. It would also establish a registration system for out-of-state practitioners to provide telehealth services to patients located in the state adopting this Act, therefore enabling practitioners to provide widespread assistance to patients in a more convenient and cost-effective manner.
This bill would be a foundational first step to better facilitate the delivery of telehealth services and address the patchwork of licensure laws that exist from state to state to ensure patients can continue to be at the center of their care.
Read the full letter here and below:
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Alliance Leads Letter to Congressional Appropriators to Support Telehealth Resource Centers
The Alliance for Connected Care led a letter asking Congressional Appropriators to include a $14 million request for the Telehealth Resource Centers (TRC) program at the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) in FY2024 appropriations.
This increase in funding would provide a critical boost to the TRCs, which saw an 800% increase in demand for telehealth assistance during the COVID-19 pandemic. The TRCs need at least $14M in funding in FY24 to ensure that each TRC (regional and national) can receive at least $1M each to continue to meet this demand and ensure that telehealth questions and issues can continue to be addressed.
To read the final letter, see below or click here.
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Concerns Align on the DEA Telemedicine Rule
Over 35,000 Americans provided comments on the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) proposed rule, “Telemedicine Prescribing of Controlled Substances When the Practitioner and the Patient Have Not Had a Prior In-Person Medical Evaluation.”
In comment letters responding to the DEA’s proposed rule, hundreds of key stakeholders highlighted the need for a special registration for telemedicine and the dangerous impact on patient access the proposed rule has on millions of patients.
Read a snapshot of the comments below or here.
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(UPDATED) Mental Health Groups Call on DEA for Continued Access to Treatments Through Telehealth
The Alliance for Connected Care and other leading organizations called on the Biden Administration to make modifications to the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) proposed rule, Telemedicine Prescribing of Controlled Substances When the Practitioner and the Patient Have Not Had a Prior In-Person Medical Evaluation, to ensure more flexible prescribing limitations for providers when a controlled substance is offered by a highly-trained clinician in conjunction with an ongoing mental health treatment plan.
To read the final letter, see below or click here.
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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:
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Alliance Submits Comments to the DEA Proposed Rule on Prescribing Controlled Substance via Telemedicine
The Alliance for Connected Care submitted comments in response to the request for information from the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) proposed rule, Telemedicine Prescribing of Controlled Substances When the Practitioner and the Patient Have Not Had a Prior In-Person Medical Evaluation.
The Alliance highlights its concerns that the rule does not satisfy multiple congressional directives to establish a process for providers to prescribe controlled substances via telemedicine without a prior, in-person medical evaluation. The Alliance urges the DEA to move forward with the development of a special telemedicine registration to ensure access to medically necessary services are available via telemedicine.
Additionally, the Alliance provided specific feedback on proposals in the proposed rule. Broadly, the Alliance was disappointed by the approach taken by the DEA in the proposed rule.
To read the full letter, see below or click here.
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Alliance Joins Letter With Mental Health Groups Calling on DEA for Continued Access to Treatments Through Telehealth
Alliance Joins Letter With Mental Health Groups Calling on DEA for Continued Access to Treatments Through Telehealth
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Alliance Submits Comments in Response to the Senate HELP Committee Workforce RFI
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The Alliance for Connected Care submitted comments in response to the request for information from the Senate HELP Committee on the drivers of the health care workforce shortage.
The Alliance specifically outlined the important role that telehealth can play in addressing health care workforce shortages moving forward and why telehealth should be included in any legislative action on this issue to ensure a comprehensive approach to bolstering the health care workforce nationwide.
To read the full letter, click here or see below:
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