Telehealth Can Be Life-Saving Amid COVID-19, Yet as Virus Rages, Insurance Companies Look to Scale Back

Insurers that were quick to adopt federally mandated expansions to telehealth Medicare coverage instituted because of the COVID-19 pandemic are starting to scale back that coverage, which could seriously affect both doctors and patients, reports USA Today . Texas Digestive Disease Consultants CEO James Weber said some of the expanded telehealth coverage was planned until the end of the "public health emergency," which is poorly defined with no end on the horizon. "It seems like you would want to keep the telehealth channel open, particularly for the vulnerable populations," added Arizona Digestive Health President Paul Berggreen. Our Culture Care founder Joy Cooper started her service to connect black women to black doctors for telehealth appointments, but a national expansion could be waylaid because payments remain a obstacle, and medical practices that lacked telehealth capabilities before COVID will have a difficult transition. Optum Health CEO Wyatt Decker added that there must be a "fair conversation" on appropriate payment rates for telemedicine options. Meanwhile, the American Telemedicine Association said Medicare should pay equal rates for virtual and in-person care. Harvard Medical School Professor Ateev Mehrotra said physicians are concerned that the investment of obtaining telehealth software, and training staff and patients could "go down the tubes" once the pandemic ends and insurance policies return to pre-COVID levels.