Telehealth Scores States’ Backing Despite Concerns on Abuses

States around the country are racing to find the best way to promote continued use of telehealth as they navigate concerns over the potential for overuse and abuse.

More than two dozen states have introduced some form of “payment parity”—paying doctors and other medical providers the same for online and in-person services—in order to create incentives for providers to continue offering telehealth services.

The use of telehealth has grown exponentially since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, leading to a paradigm shift in the way patients and providers utilize and provide health care. But that rise has been accompanied by ...