Pa. House passes long-sought measure to require insurance coverage for telehealth services

Health insurance providers would be required to cover telemedicine services under a bill that passed with bipartisan support in the Pennsylvania House on Wednesday.

House Bill 1512 introduced by state Rep. Christine Sappey (D-Chester), was approved nearly four years after a state Senate version of the measure passed both chambers in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Gov. Tom Wolf vetoed the bill, however, in April 2020, over concerns over an amendment to restrict the prescription of abortion-inducing drugs during a telemedicine appointment. 

As telemedicine visits were thrust into the everyday lives of people around the world by pandemic lockdowns, they became an essential part of health care, Sappey said on the House floor Wednesday. 

“I don’t personally believe that telemedicine will ever replace on-site health care, but it certainly enhances the ability for patients to keep consistent with your medical appointments,” Sappey said. “And there are clearly times when a tele visit is appropriate, more convenient, or even the only possibility at that time, particularly for the disability community.”

Sappey said the bill does not regulate health care providers but instead requires health insurance companies to pay for telemedicine services if the same treatment would be covered in an in-person setting. 

“Healthcare professionals do their jobs and provide care in an appropriate setting,” Sappey said before the bill passed with a 197-3 vote.

H.B. 1512 now goes to the state Senate for a vote. 

The proposal has been a bipartisan priority for years, as proponents say it would expand rural access to doctors and therapists, and that COVID-19 only increased supporters’ efforts.

It was held up for years by abortion opponents until the version amended to include restrictions on the prescription of an abortion-inducing drug used by abortion providers, such as Planned Parenthood, passed 111-77 in 2020.

The version passed Wednesday by the Democratic-controlled House does not contain the restrictions on access to abortion care.