Telehealth Pay Gaps Loom After Virus When State Orders Expire

Virtual doctor visits won’t go away after the pandemic as states like Illinois and Arkansas try to ensure telehealth remains a viable alternative.

Chatting with physicians online surged during Covid-19 via video-conferencing apps such as Google Meet, Zoom, Skype, and Apple FaceTime to keep patients and doctors from potentially exposing themselves and others to the coronavirus.

Major health-care commercial insurers like Aetna, Cigna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Humana, and United Healthcare typically cover telehealth, but these virtual services don’t always pay providers at the same rate as in-person care.

While approximately 60% of states like California and Virginia already have ...