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Hello John,

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Telehealth has revolutionized the way patients access care, breaking down barriers like distance, time, and even stigma. This is particularly true in rural areas with fewer doctors.

Yet, outdated state and federal laws continue to act as roadblocks, preventing millions of Americans from reaping telehealth’s full potential.

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Here’s how:

• Restrictive licensing requirements often limit the ability of patients to use telehealth to see out-of-state doctors. So, if you go see a doctor in another state in person, insurance will cover it. Not so if it’s a telehealth visit with the same doctor.
• Insurance reimbursement policies can discourage providers from expanding telehealth offerings, leaving patients without the care they need. Just imagine a single parent in a rural community who depends on virtual consultations to manage her child’s health, or a senior who relies on remote check-ins to monitor a chronic condition.
• And there’s the issue of safety. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that hospital-acquired illnesses account for 1.7 million infections and 99,000 deaths each year. Telehealth decreases the risk of exposure to pathogens in waiting rooms and other areas where people with infections may be present.

These are not abstract concepts but everyday realities for millions of people. Their ability to access care should not hinge on outdated policies that never anticipated modern forms of communication.

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It’s up to Congress to modernize these laws and make them permanent.

We need to ensure that telehealth is not just an emergency solution to address a health care crisis like Covid. We need telehealth as a permanent fixture of our health care system.

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Expanding telehealth options is an integral part of the Personal Option for health care.

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The Personal Option is the health care reform plan that empowers patients, doctors, nurses, and health care innovators — not insurance companies or government bureaucrats.

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It removes the barriers that impede access to care (like telehealth) and offers Americans more choice and flexibility in their own health care decisions.

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Telehealth delivers real solutions: Managing a chronic condition, seeking mental health services, or simply trying to fit a consultation into your busy schedule — each of these is made easier with telehealth.

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But without permanent legislative action, our progress may slip away.

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Reach out to your representatives and urge Congress to secure and solidify telehealth’s place in our health care system with a Personal Option. The time for action on the Personal Option is now!

Best regards,

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-Dean

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Dean Clancy

Senior Health Policy Fellow

Americans for Prosperity