A bill requiring health insurers to pay for virtual health visits at the same rate as in-person visits for the next two years was passed by the state Senate Thursday and awaits the governor’s signature, even as health insurers registered their strong opposition.
The measure extends the pay parity provisions for virtual care, known as telehealth, that were adopted on an emergency basis at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Pay parity would be extended under the law until June 2023.
Insurers have objected to the measure as bypassing traditional negotiations with the industry on actions that could impact their operations and increase costs.
Health insurers denounce telehealth pay-parity bill as it goes to the governor hartfordbusiness.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from hartfordbusiness.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Lawmakers and others considering an expanded government role in health insurance will soon learn whether Connecticut’s powerful insurance industry still packs a punch in the General Assembly.
A proposed $50 million annual tax to fund subsidies for an expansion of state-run health insurance will only drive up health care costs for everyone else, according to businesses and Republicans who oppose its inclusion in Democrats’ high-priority public option legislation.
As Bloomfield health insurer Cigna prepares to re-enter the state’s small group market with a new plan for employers with 50 or fewer workers, Connecticut’s health insurance landscape remains somewhat uncertain.
Gov. Ned Lamont, progressive Democrats and Republicans have all recently unveiled plans that would reform the healthcare industry. While the plans differ, there seems to be bipartisan agreement that the cost of health care for small businesses and individuals is too high and unsustainable long term.