This bill seeks to improve digital access, increase tech literacy, streamline licensing to help access clinicians, address language barriers, and remove health insurer prior authorization for telehealth services.

This bill directs the Health Policy Commission (HPC) to establish two programs: Digital Bridge Pilot Program and a Digital Health Navigator Tech Literacy Pilot Program to support expanded access to telehealth technologies and technological literacy.

It establishes two task forces—one, to study interstate licensure of physicians and two, to study interstate licensure of advanced practice registered nurses, physician assistants and behavioral and allied health professions.

It also prohibits insurers from imposing prior authorization requirements on medically necessary telehealth visits that would not apply to in-person visits, and it further requires insurers to cover interpreter services for patients with limited English proficiency and for those who are deaf or hard of hearing. Further, it expands the definition of chronic disease management covered by telehealth services to include COVID-19 and its long-term symptoms as well as additional children’s chronic diseases whose treatment is covered under Medicaid, among several other provisions.

This bill would require that reimbursement of costs for medically appropriate Evaluation and Management (E&M) services in outpatient settings be part of a basic benefits package offered by insurers. It would also ensure that these services would not be subject to cost sharing through deductibles or co-pays.

Further, it would expand the types of care exempted from cost sharing to include outpatient E&M services. These services constitute a relatively low fraction of total health care services, and therefore, requiring that they not be subject to cost sharing would not present undue burden for payers, and would protect patients’ access to high-value care.