Bill grants HSA-eligible health plans up to $250 in first-dollar coverage flexibility that can be applied toward telehealth services

WASHINGTON, DC (July 11, 2018): Health IT Now - a broad-based coalition of patient groups, provider organizations, employers, and payers supporting health information technology to improve patient outcomes - responded today to the Ways and Means Committee passage of H.R. 6301, legislation sponsored by Reps. Peter Roskam (R-IL), Mike Thompson (D-CA), and Diane Black (R-TN) allowing HSA-eligible high deductible health plans to grant up to $250 in first-dollar coverage flexibility during a given plan year.

Under the legislation, if a plan elects to offer this first-dollar coverage outside of its regular deductible, consumers could apply that coverage toward any number of medical services, including telehealth - thereby allowing more Americans, including those who have not met their yearly deductible, to reap the benefits of this innovative care model.

Health IT Now Executive Director Joel White released the following statement:

"In 2018, lawmakers should use every tool at their disposal to ensure more Americans can reap the benefits of innovative care models like telehealth. By expanding opportunities for individuals in HSAs and high deductible health plans to access telehealth services, H.R. 6301 accomplishes an incremental but significant step toward that goal. We commend Representatives Roskam, Thompson, and Black for their leadership on this important measure as well as Chairman Kevin Brady (R-TX) for bringing this solution to a vote. More work remains in terms of fully leveraging the power of telehealth to spur better outcomes across the healthcare system, but Committee passage of this bill is progress that should be celebrated. We call upon the full House to follow the Ways and Means Committee's lead and hold a vote on H.R. 6301 in short order," said Health IT Now Executive Director Joel White.

About Health IT Now: Health IT Now (HITN) is a broad-based coalition of patient groups, provider organizations, employers, and payers that supports incentives to deploy health information technology to improve care, patient outcomes, and to lower costs. Learn more at www.healthitnow.org.

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