Sacramento, CA – The following statement supports comments submitted to the California Senate. The statement should be attributed to James Gelfand, Senior Vice President of Health Policy at The ERISA Industry Committee (ERIC):
“With rising numbers of COVID-19 cases in California and around the country, it is vital that workers and families are not put at a greater risk to exposure and can still access health care providers.
Telehealth is a solution that millions of Californians have come to count on, but AB 457, legislation currently being considered in the California state Senate, puts that access at risk. The overly broad language in section 3(h) of the bill could be interpreted to severely limit health systems, telehealth companies, and others from connecting patients to providers. Now is not the time for state legislators to pass laws restricting patients from using online health platforms to see the doctors and other medical providers they need.
For this reason, ERIC urges state lawmakers to reject AB 457 unless section 3(h) is stricken from the bill.”