Joel White spoke to Inside Health Policy about the status of legislation to make telehealth a permanent excepted benefit.
Joel White, founder and president of Horizon Government Affairs, said a solid House vote on the bill would put pressure on the Senate to act. But scaling back the bill to appease Democratic concerns — like making the stand-alone telehealth benefit only available to workers who do not qualify for comprehensive medical coverage — would limit the impact of the policy, he said.
“People like telehealth and want it regardless of their work status,” White said. “If Congress restricted the law, it would be telling full-time workers you don’t count.”