Today, the Partnership for Employer-Sponsored Coverage (P4ESC) issued its endorsement of the bipartisan Telehealth Expansion Act of 2021, S. 1704, introduced by Senators Steve Daines (R-MT) and Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV). The legislation makes permanent a provision under the CARES Act (P.L. 116-136) which amended the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) rules governing high deductible health plans (HDHPs) to enable first-dollar coverage of telehealth services through December 31, 2021.

In its endorsement letter to the sponsors, P4ESC noted “[t]he COVID-19 pandemic created tremendous uncertainty and logistical issues for those seeking care, especially for behavioral and mental health services. Telehealth has served as an essential lifeline to care for millions of Americans during the pandemic. S. 1704 expands telehealth services to more hardworking Americans and would provide continuity of care beyond 2021.”

P4ESC, the advocacy alliance for employers of all sizes and the over 183 million Americans who rely on employer-sponsored coverage every day, supports federal legislative action in these telehealth policy areas:

First-dollar coverage of telehealth services under high deductible health plans
Treating a telehealth service program as an allowable excepted benefit
Reforming licensure requirements to enable services to be offered across state lines
Establishing a national set of standards for telehealth services