Twenty states and the District of Columbia have already introduced bills which aim to improve access to telemedicine services: Arizona, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Vermont and Washington. Texas is the first state this year to propose legislative changes to their medical board standards regarding telemedicine.
For a comprehensive list of state telehealth legislation, please visit the ATA's
Public Policy Wiki or this one-page
State Telehealth Policy Matrix.
Mandate Legislation
Massachusetts - H. 1951, introduced by Representative Gloria Fox (D-Roxbury,) requires telemedicine coverage for all health plans, including Medicaid; authorizes the use of remote monitoring; and includes a provision to require the health home benefit for the chronically ill. The bill defines telemedicine as the “use of synchronous video conferencing, remote patient monitoring, and asynchronous health images or other health transmissions supported by mobile devices (mHealth) or other telecommunications technology by a health care provider to deliver health care services at a site other than the site where the provider is located relating to the health care diagnosis or treatment of a patient.”
- S. 530, introduced by Senator Mark Montigny (D-New Bedford,) requires telemedicine coverage for private insurers, Medicaid, and State Employee Plans. The bill defines telemedicine as the “use of interactive audio, video or other electronic media for the purpose of diagnosis, consultation or treatment.”
- H. 2114, introduced by Representative Daniel Winslow (R-Norfolk,) requires telemedicine coverage for private insurers, Medicaid, and State Employee Plans; The bill defines telemedicine as the “use of interactive audio, video or other electronic media for the purpose of diagnosis, consultation or treatment.”
- S. 467, introduced by Senator Michael Moore (D-Millbury,) requires telemedicine coverage for private insurers and state employee plans only; the bill defines telemedicine as the “use of audio, video or other electronic media for the purpose of diagnosis, consultation, or treatment as it pertains to the delivery of healthcare services.”
Telebehavioral
Massachusetts - H. 948, introduced by Representatives Elizabeth Malia (D-Jamaica Plain) and John Keenan (D-Quincy,) requires telemedicine coverage for telepsychiatry services.
Medical Board Standards
Texas - HB 1470, introduced by Representative Jodie Laubenberg (R-89,) prevents the TX Medical board from adopting any rules that would limit the provision of telemedicine services by a qualified provider; repeals the requirement for a face-to-face follow-up if the patient has never seen their provider in-person; requires telemedicine providers to have in-state licensing and an established in-person relationship with the patient before the telemedicine encounter.