Fall ’22 Member Priorities, Pt. 3: Telehealth and Digital Health Coverage

Our next installment of fall ’22 ACT | The App Association member company priorities spotlights an issue important to all Americans—continued access to telehealth and digital health coverage.

In 2022, more than 81 million Americans are estimated to have accessed care through telehealth and digital health services.

Here is what our members are asking of Congress:

We urge the Senate to pass the House’s additional two-year extension on telehealth and digital health coverage. We also encourage both chambers to extend the current allowance for private high-deductible health plans (HDHPs) to cover telehealth and other remote care services. In the long run, Congress must also continue to move the Medicare system to value-based care arrangements that enable patients and caregivers to leverage covered digital health services.

Here is why our members are making the ask of Congress:

Federal law prohibits Medicare from covering live audio and video (telehealth) visits between caregivers and beneficiaries in the vast majority of care settings. However, Congress temporarily waived those restrictions until 151 days after the expiration of the public health emergency (PHE). With the PHE set to expire soon, the House recently passed legislation extending the waiver until 2025. Allowing telehealth coverage restrictions to snap back into place after the PHE would snatch away covered telehealth options for your constituents and many of our members’ employees, reducing access to critical care for those who need it most.

To continue improving the lives of your constituents and creating sought-after jobs in your districts and states, our members will rely on federal policies that enable telehealth and digital health to innovate and grow.