Connecticut Lawmakers Vote to Extend Telehealth Coverage - For a While

Connecticut lawmakers have approved a bill extending several telehealth freedoms until next March, saying they want to study the issue more before addressing permanent coverage.

HB 6001, which now heads to Governor Ned Lamont’s desk for a signature, addresses most of the coverage and access issues that Lamont addressed in emergency measures to help providers deal with the coronavirus pandemic.

Among other things, the bill addresses coverage by the state’s Medicaid program and private insurers, and:

• Expands the list of care providers able to use telehealth to include art and music therapists, athletic trainers, behavior analysts, dentists, genetic counselors, nurse midwives and occupational and physical therapist assistants;
• Allows coverage for services delivered over an audio-only phone and other audio-visual telemedicine platforms, including FaceTime, Skype and Facebook Messenger;
• Allows care providers to use telehealth from any location; and
• Requires reimbursement parity for telehealth services, and prevents insurers from seeking co-pays or deductibles or reducing the amount of reimbursement to providers.

With this legislation, Connecticut joins a handful of states, including New Hampshire and Colorado, to extend connected health coverage beyond the COVID-19 crisis, giving care providers and opportunity to adjust their services and develop a sustainable strategy. But in this case those freedoms aren’t permanent.

Lawmakers said they approved the eight-month extension, through March 15, 2021, to give them time to study the long-term effects of telehealth expansion.

“Is telehealth the best way to continue getting health care delivered to people? And is the outcome of a telehealth appointment the same outcome as you get from an in-person appointment? Probably not,” State Rep. Sean Scanlon told the Connecticut Mirror. “But there are things we need to do to make sure everyone has access to good care. I think this all happening too soon for us to know definitively whether we should push this forever.”