CBO: Bipartisan Telehealth Bill to Incur $5 Billion in Costs Over Next Decade

The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates that the Bipartisan Telehealth Expansion Act, introduced by Senators Steve Daines (R-Mont.) and Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), will cost $5 billion over the next decade. This legislation aims to provide permanent access to telehealth services for individuals with high deductible health plans, without the requirement of meeting a minimum deductible.

The Telehealth Expansion Act seeks to make a provision from the pandemic-era CARES Act of 2020 a permanent part of healthcare policy. This provision permits employers and health plans to cover telehealth visits for individuals with high-deductible health plans coupled with health savings accounts, eliminating the need for individuals to meet a deductible before receiving these services.

The provision has a significant impact, reaching more than 32 million Americans, as stated by the Alliance for Connected Care, a telehealth lobbying group that represents health systems and employers such as Amazon and Walmart.

Currently, this policy is set to expire in 2024, and it was included as part of the most recent end-of-year omnibus bill alongside other telehealth extension provisions.

A companion version of the Telehealth Expansion Act has also been introduced in the House by Representatives Michelle Steel (D-Calif.), Susie Lee (D-Nev.), Adrian Smith (R-Neb.), and Brad Schneider (D-Ill.).

Denial of responsibility! VigourTimes is an automatic aggregator of Global media. In each content, the hyperlink to the primary source is specified. All trademarks belong to their rightful owners, and all materials to their authors. For any complaint, please reach us at – [email protected]. We will take necessary action within 24 hours.