JUNEAU, Alaska -- Access to quality, affordable health care is crucial for all Alaskans to lead healthy and happy lives and Senate Bill 83 will be a step in assuring that access, especially for residents in the most rural parts of the state, putting telehealth rate fairness into law.
Alaska volunteer advocates of the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) urge lawmakers to hear and pass SB 83 and help more of our friends, family and neighbors access needed care, which allows patients the best chance to detect, treat and survive cancer. SB 83 has already passed the Senate and is now under consideration in its final committee in the House of Representatives. It would solidify access to telehealth by requiring coverage parity for telehealth visits on all state-regulated private insurance plans and removing an existing parity sunset clause for Medicaid.
Telehealth in Alaska can be used for medical consultations and services that can reasonably be completed without an in-person visit. Consistent, reliable electronic appointments ease travel and cost burdens for Alaskans who live outside of the most populated areas and allow providers to see remote patients from their typical practice locations.
The bill requires insurance carriers to reimburse providers at the same rate for services provided by telehealth as for those equivalent services provided during an in-person visit. Lower reimbursement rates for telehealth services can disincentivize providers from serving patients in this manner. Inequitable access to care can put rural residents at significant risk of poor health outcomes as well as financial stress, adding logistical hurdles to basic care needs. SB 83 would not remove all need for extended travel but would help reduce travel barriers for some visits.
“For many Alaska cancer patients, this is not a matter of choosing between telehealth and an in-person visit. It is a choice between telehealth or no health care at all,” ACS CAN Alaska Government Relations Director Emily Nenon said. “This is particularly true for people who live outside our major population areas and the providers who want to serve them. Telehealth is an experiment that has worked. No state needs it more than ours. Removing the barriers that expand access to our residents is an important step in helping more Alaskans get the care they need, when and where they need it.”