Bill would guarantee NJ doctors same pay for telehealth, in-person visits

An Assembly panel approved a bill Thursday that would ensure doctors in New Jersey can continue to get paid the same amount for treating patients in person as they do by video call.

The bill cleared the Assembly Health Committee with support from the Democratic majority and two of the panel’s three Republican members. The measure, first introduced in March, passed the Senate health committee last week with unanimous support.

Assemblywoman Margie Donlon (D-Monmouth), a physical rehabilitation doctor and lead sponsor on the bill, said telehealth has been shown to save patients time and can make medical practices more efficient. She said she doesn’t use it herself, but has seen how it benefits patients, particularly those with disabilities who may struggle to get to an appointment.

“This really goes a long way to providing the care that our patients in the state of New Jersey truly need. And again, cost savings across the board,” she said.

New Jersey has been debating telehealth payments for at least a decade, with providers slow to embrace the technology at first. That changed during the COVID-19 pandemic, when online care became the norm for many. But efforts to modernize the payment system have been delayed and the state has extended a temporary rule that assured doctors were paid the same rate for both types of visits, put in place before the pandemic.

Doctors and hospitals are now eager to have the state codify that parity in statute. Multiple physician organizations supported the bill Thursday, as well as several hospital groups. Some 25 states have already adopted some this type of rule, according to Tina Earley of the New Jersey Hospital Association, and healthcare providers have integrated telehealth into their practices.

Earley said patients are also eager to assure remote care options continue, with 60% now using telehealth and planning to continue online appointments in the future. She urged the committee to approve extending a “policy that has proven successful and reflects the modern realities of healthcare delivery.”

Ward Sanders, with the New Jersey Association of Health Plans, which represents insurance companies, said the issue needs more study. Telehealth is “incredibly important,” he said, saving time for providers and patients, especially those with behavioral health needs.

“The concern is the introduction of government rate setting, essentially. This is an area where the government has not traditionally gotten involved,” he said.

He added, “We believe the market should really control the pricing.”

Assemblyman John Azzariti (R-Bergen), a physician who voted for the measure, insisted he would “never vote for this body to set rates,” but said that requiring rates to be equal wasn’t the same as setting them.

“Just for the record, as an anesthesiologist, I do not participate in telehealth,” he said, prompting laughter.

Assemblyman Brian Rumpf (R-Ocean), opposed the measure, questioning why a physician should receive the same pay for an online visit when they can offer far more services in person.

“There seems to be some disparity there,” he said.