Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker signed into law a comprehensive bill Jan. 1 that requires insurers to permanently cover telehealth after the COVID-19 pandemic ends.
Three details:
1. The new legislation builds on the governor's emergency order passed at the beginning of the pandemic requiring insurers to immediately cover telehealth so providers could deliver care via virtual platforms when it was unsafe to do so in person.
2. The bill requires coverage parity for telehealth services and implements permanent telehealth rate parity for behavioral health services.
3. The legislation also requires rate parity for telehealth coverage for primary care and chronic disease management services for two years as well as rate parity for 90 days past the state of emergency.