CBO: Bipartisan telehealth bill will cost $5B over next decade

Bipartisan legislation that would give people with high-deductible health plans permanent access to telehealth services without having to meet a minimum deductible will cost $5 billion over the next decade, according to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO).

The Telehealth Expansion Act, led by Sens. Steve Daines (R-Mont.) and Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), would make permanent a provision from the pandemic-era CARES Act of 2020.

The provision allowed employers and health plans to cover telehealth visits for individuals with high-deductible health plans coupled with health savings accounts, without the individuals needing to meet a deductible first.

According to the Alliance for Connected Care, a telehealth lobbying group representing health systems and other employers including Amazon and Walmart, the provision impacts more than 32 million Americans.

The policy was extended only until 2024 as part of the most recent end-of-year omnibus bill, along with other telehealth extension provisions. 

A companion version in the House was sponsored by Reps. Michelle Steel (D-Calif.), Susie Lee (D-Nev.), Adrian Smith (R-Neb.), and Brad Schneider (D-Ill.).