Private payer parity laws generally require private insurers and health maintenance organizations to cover, and in some cases also reimburse, for the provision of telehealth services in the same manner and at the same level as comparable in-person services. These laws are enacted at the state level, creating a complicated framework within which insurers must operate. At this point, most states have implemented some form of private payer parity law, although the specifics of each state’s laws vary. One of the most common is a rule such as Montana's, which requires insurers to offer coverage for health care services provided by a health care provider by means of telemedicine if the services are otherwise covered by the plan. Some states, like Iowa, only mandate parity within their Medicaid programs without extending the mandate to private payers. Other states only require parity for certain types of services, like mental health services in Alaska. Lastly, Illinois and Massachusetts, require parity only when insurers opt to provide telehealth services.
In the 2017 legislative session thus far, two more states have enacted private payer parity laws. In April, North Dakota enacted its law, SB 2052, which prohibits policies that provide health benefits coverage to be delivered, issued, executed, or renewed that do not provide coverage for health services delivered by means of telehealth. Although SB 2052 does not require reimbursement for telehealth to match in-person services, it does permit establishing reimbursement for telehealth services through negotiations conducted by the insurer with the health services providers in the same manner as used for in-person services. At the end of June, New Jersey passed its law, requiring health benefits plans to “provide coverage and payment for health care services delivered to a covered person through telemedicine or telehealth, on the same basis as, and at a provider reimbursement rate that does not exceed the provider reimbursement rate that is applicable, when the services are delivered through in-person contact and consultation in New Jersey.” Pennsylvania's bill, prohibiting a health insurance policy or ancillary service plan from excluding a health care service for coverage solely because the service is provided through telemedicine, is still pending.
Recent efforts in other states to enact telehealth private payer parity laws have not been as successful. A number of parity bills died in the last legislative session, including in Iowa, Kansas, Idaho, and Massachusetts. A bill in Florida that would have created tax credit for health insurers and health maintenance organizations that cover telehealth services also failed. At present, 15 states do not yet mandate private payers to cover and reimburse telehealth services at the same level as in-person health care services. In addition to the aforementioned, Alabama, Illinois, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina, South Dakota, Utah, Wisconsin, West Virginia, and Wyoming all lack such laws or regulations.
We continue to track the progress of bills in state and federal legislatures. If you have questions on coverage and reimbursement for telehealth services, please reach out to Epstein Becker Green’s Telehealth & Telemedicine team to learn more about our capabilities. Additionally, we are in the process of updating our state survey on telemental health laws. Check back soon for additional details.