The Partnership for Employer-Sponsored Coverage, an advocacy alliance working to strengthen and preserve employment-based health coverage, issued its support for the bipartisan Primary and Virtual Care Affordability Act, H.R. 5541, introduced by Ways and Means Members Brad Schneider (D-IL) and Brad Wenstrup (R-OH). The legislation authorizes employers to provide first-dollar coverage of telehealth and in-person primary care visits under a high deductible health plan (HDHP) coupled with a health savings account (HSA) for two years.

As health costs have increased for working Americans and employers alike, an HDHP coupled with an HSA has become a more viable option to enable thousands of businesses to continue offering employment-based health coverage and provide employees with more cost-effective health coverage and consumer choice. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) rules governing HDHPs prohibit the coverage of care without a deductible or first meeting an annual deductible on services besides those deemed eligible as preventive care benefits.

The pandemic-relief CARES Act (P.L. 116-136) amended the IRS HDHP rules to enable first-dollar coverage of telehealth services through December 31, 2021. Telehealth has served as an essential lifeline to care for millions of Americans during the pandemic, especially those seeking behavioral and mental health services. H.R. 5541 extends this first-dollar telehealth policy and also covers in-person primary care visits, which will provide a continuity of care beyond 2021.

The P4ESC letter of support is linked HERE.