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Federation Weighs in on Telehealth Legislation: Free Market Approach Better for Patients, Innovation

Thursday, March 11, 2021

 

The Des Moines Register recently published a guest column by Federation of Iowa Insurers Executive Director Mark Roth laying out the benefits of a free market approach to developing telehealth services. While Roth noted that telehealth visits can be beneficial to patients, he wrote:

"However, in some cases, telehealth can increase treatment cost without improving outcomes. A virtual provider doesn’t have the benefit of listening to lungs, taking vitals, and observing physical conditions that are not viewable via phone or computer screen. And after their initial telehealth visit, a patient may still need to see a doctor in person for a physical evaluation or tests. The nonpartisan Legislative Services Agency found telehealth visits surged by 4,800% last year among Iowans with state of Iowa insurance, such as state employees. If all telehealth care were reimbursed at the same rate as in-person visits, and even a fraction of patients needed a second, in-person visit with their providers, the costs would be staggering and ultimately passed on to consumers."

You can read the full column here.

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