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Telehealth soared in popularity soon after Medicare started covering telehealth claims during the pandemic. There is a five-month time limit on reimbursing claims after the pandemic emergency declaration ends, which is now expected after the mid-term election. Before making reimbursements permanent, Josh Gordon, Ph.D., Director of the Health Policy Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, recommends putting guard rails in place to prevent waste, fraud, and abuse of telehealth claims, especially in a fee-for-service model such as Medicare. Congress will also have to reconsider pay parity, since telehealth should cost less than a physical visit.
To most, telehealth is relatively a new phenomenon. Before the pandemic, Medicare barely covered it. First, Medicare patients had to be living in an underserved rural area. If they did receive a telehealth visit, it had to be done at an approved health care facility. When the pandemic hit, and states instituted lock downs, telehealth was a saving grace because it was the only way many patients could get health care. Telehealth visits are fully covered by Medicare, but only during a public health emergency. Gordan talks about how telehealth could lead to higher health care utilization which would drive up Medicare costs. He also addresses telehealth innovation and whether “guardrails” could slow this down. The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget released this paper on the topic on April 21, 2022.
https://www.crfb.org/papers/fiscal-considerations-future-telehealth
Show Notes
Telehealth soared in popularity soon after Medicare started covering telehealth claims during the pandemic. There is a five-month time limit on reimbursing claims after the pandemic emergency declaration ends, which is now expected after the mid-term election. Before making reimbursements permanent, Josh Gordon, Ph.D., Director of the Health Policy Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, recommends putting guard rails in place to prevent waste, fraud, and abuse of telehealth claims, especially in a fee-for-service model such as Medicare. Congress will also have to reconsider pay parity, since telehealth should cost less than a physical visit.
To most, telehealth is relatively a new phenomenon. Before the pandemic, Medicare barely covered it. First, Medicare patients had to be living in an underserved rural area. If they did receive a telehealth visit, it had to be done at an approved health care facility. When the pandemic hit, and states instituted lock downs, telehealth was a saving grace because it was the only way many patients could get health care. Telehealth visits are fully covered by Medicare, but only during a public health emergency. Gordan talks about how telehealth could lead to higher health care utilization which would drive up Medicare costs. He also addresses telehealth innovation and whether “guardrails” could slow this down. The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget released this paper on the topic on April 21, 2022.
Creators and Guests
Host
AnneMarie Schieber
AnneMarie Schieber brings decades of experience as an investigative news reporter to the forefront as host of Health Care News from The Heartland Institute. Along with hosting the podcast, Schieber is the managing editor of Health Care News, Heartland's monthly newspaper for health care reform. Before her work in the liberty movement, Schieber spent several decades at television stations in Michigan, Minnesota, New York and Pennsylvania. The Associated Press awarded her the top honor of "Best Individual Reporting" for being the first reporter to call attention to government efforts to subsidize spending by increasing automobile fines, typically on low-income motorists.
What is Health Care News Podcast?
The Heartland Institute podcast featuring libertarian and conservative health care scholars who are working to put power back into the hands of patients and doctors, and away from government bureaucrats.