Equal Pay for Telehealth Vital After Pandemic, Senate Told

Virtual doctor visits should pay the same rate as in-office checkups even after the Covid-19 pandemic ends, telehealth advocates told a Senate health panel.

The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee hosted a panel Wednesday to consider what recent telehealth changes to keep once the public health emergency ends. Various lawmakers including Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.) asked about potential hurdles that could slow the telehealth momentum.

Top of the list was telehealth reimbursement rates.

Major health-care commercial insurers like Aetna, Cigna, and United Healthcare typically cover telehealth, but often don’t pay doctors at the ...