More Telehealth Benefits Coming To Medicare Advantage Plans In 2020

Medicare Advantage plans can offer additional access to virtual doctors in their basic benefit packages under a new rule finalized by the Centers for Medicare

Dr. Minoti Parab, a telehealth staff physician with Online Care Group, is seen at her home office in Charlotte, N.C. on Friday, Sept. 11, 2015. Parab practices family medicine but sees no patients in person. All her 'telemedicine' patient consultants
 VIA GETTY IMAGES

Access to telehealth services for seniors got another boost Friday when the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services said it would allow private Medicare Advantage plans to offer additional access to virtual doctors in their basic benefit packages.

The so-called final rule will bring new benefits to seniors in 2020 as part of their Medicare Advantage plans. Such coverage is growing rapidly and expected to account for half of Medicare beneficiaries in the coming years, some analysts say.

“Historically, Medicare Advantage plans have been able to offer more telehealth services, compared to Original Medicare, as part of their supplemental benefits,” the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) said Friday. “But with the final rule, it will be more likely that plans will offer the additional telehealth benefits outside of supplemental benefits, expanding patients’ access to telehealth services from more providers and in more parts of the country than before, whether they live in rural or urban areas.”

It could be a huge boon to companies like  American Well,  MDLive and  Teladoc and an array of startups getting into the business of offering access to physicians and patients via smartphone, tablet or computer. Employers and private insurers are already embracing the trend as a way to make health care visits convenient and avoid costly and unnecessary trips to the emergency room or a more expensive physician’s office.

CMS and some private insurers are expanding supplemental benefits into a collection of services that incentivize patient compliance as prevention to ensure keeping appointments or providing alternate remote clinic visits.

It will be interesting to visit the cost/benefit aspects of these benefits. Also to compare outcomes for those using these services.




More Telehealth Benefits Coming To Medicare Advantage Plans In 2020: