Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee officially signed telehealth expansion into law on August 20. The revised law expands telehealth coverage—specifically, direct-to-patient coverage—through April 1, 2022. The legislation requires insurance companies to cover telemedicine services in place of in-person visits when medically necessary.
Key takeaways include:
- Payment parity: Requires payors to reimburse at the same negotiated rate for a telehealth visit as an in-person visit until April 1, 2022.
- Direct-to-patient coverage locations include the patient’s home, place of employment or any other place the patient deems appropriate.
- Includes Commercial, TennCare and other state-funded plans
- Excludes Medicare, other federal payors and ERISA plans
As of now, direct-to-patient coverage dates are as follows:
- CMS, Medicare, other Federal Payors: October 23, 2020
- TennCare: April 1, 2022
- United Healthcare commercial: September 30
- United Healthcare Medicare Advantage: October 22
- Humana: October 23
- Cigna: December 31
- Aetna and BCBS TN: ongoing
- BCBS Out of State: no date announced
Commercial payors will likely announce updated coverage dates as a result of the revised law. Stay tuned to the Employer Insights blog for the latest information on telehealth coverage and other important laws affecting area employers.