Washington, DC – The ERISA Industry Committee (ERIC) provided testimony to the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance ahead of today’s hearing titled “COVID-19 Health Care Flexibilities: Perspectives, Experiences, and Lessons Learned.”
ERIC’s testimony focused on ways the Committee and Congress can take decisive action to consolidate the telehealth gains made by private sector employers during COVID before temporary provisions and rules expire. It also addressed how Congress can expand telehealth policies in the private sector so that employees and their families can access virtual care.
“Using telehealth, employers ensured their employees and families were still able to access health care providers, including mental health professionals, during the pandemic safely. Congress should act to ensure that those millions of Americans can continue using telehealth without having to overcome unnecessary barriers to access,” said James Gelfand, Senior Vice President of Health Policy, ERIC.
In its testimony, ERIC highlighted several areas where lawmakers can make immediate changes to policies that would remove barriers to telehealth, permanently opening up access to employees. Those changes include:
- Passing the bipartisan Telehealth Expansion Act to make permanent the ability of patients with high-deductible health plans (HDHPs) to access affordable telehealth before paying their entire deductible – before the temporary allowance expires in December
- Making permanent the temporary rule allowing employers to offer telehealth as a standalone benefit, available to beneficiaries such as part-time and seasonal workers, interns, individuals on an ACA waiting period, and the like. The temporary rule is very limited and will expire when the declared public health emergency ends
- Passing the Temporary Reciprocity to Ensure Access to Treatment (TREAT) Act (S. 168), and later enact a permanent solution to allow inter-state medical practice
ERIC cautioned lawmakers against implementing policies like the Health Care at Home Act, limiting telehealth access, quality of care, and doing nothing to lower costs.
“Telehealth is effective and cost-saving; it would be foolish to reverse course and limit who can access health care professionals through telehealth. That’s why ERIC supports Senators Daines’ and Cortez Masto’s Telehealth Expansion Act, which would make the CARES Act relief for HDHP beneficiaries permanent. We urge Congress to swiftly pass the bill and take action to ensure workers who have gained telehealth benefits during the COVID pandemic don’t lose it when the emergency ends,” said Gelfand.
Click here to read ERIC’s testimony.