| Whether or not an insurance company will provide | | | | Some states like Colorado limit mandatory |
| coverage for telemedicine services or not is | | | | coverage for telemedicine to rural counties with |
| generally controlled by the company's | | | | population census under 150,000 people. Most of |
| interpretation of its policies. Many insurance | | | | the 11 states require telemedicine services to be |
| companies do voluntarily provide telemedicine | | | | in real time "synchronus") or near real time |
| coverage. Some insurance policies require "face to | | | | ("asynchronus"). (I have been looking for an |
| face" provision of services or specifically exclude | | | | opportunity to use those two words). |
| telemedicine coverage. In most states the issue | | | | There is likely to be a dramatic growth in |
| of telemedicine coverage is left to the discretion | | | | telemedicine services in the coming decade as the |
| of the insurance companies in their plan designs. | | | | federal government pursues the expansion of |
| Recently, Virginia passed Senate Bill 675, now | | | | broadband capability as part of the FCC's National |
| signed by the governor, which mandates | | | | Broadband Plan. The FCC recommends the |
| insurance coverage for telemedicine services, | | | | establishment of a Healthcare Broadband |
| which it defines as the "use of interactive audio | | | | Infrastructure Fund to help cover the cost of |
| video or other electronic media used for the | | | | telemedicine in medically underserved rural areas. |
| purpose of diagnosis consultation, or treatment." It | | | | It proposes allocating at least $29 Million Dollars |
| excludes audio only telephone, email and fax | | | | annually to the Indian Health Service to improve |
| transmissions. Virginia thus joins 11 other states | | | | its broadband capability and extending broadband |
| that have passed some form of mandatory | | | | grants to nursing homes, healthcare administrative |
| insurance coverage for telemedicine. Virginia, like | | | | offices, health care data centers and other health |
| most of the others, does not require | | | | care locations. It supports increasing federal |
| reimbursement for the technical cost of | | | | reimbursements for telemedicine services and |
| telemedicine services, but does require payment | | | | eliminating regulatory barriers to the expansion of |
| comparable to that for face to face delivery of | | | | telemedicine technology. |
| medical services. Deductibles and co-pays may be | | | | The visit to the doctor's office may soon be an |
| applied, but at no higher rates than face to face | | | | experience of the past, with physicians making |
| services. The Virginia bill also proscribes lifetime | | | | virtual home calls. |
| caps on telemedicine services. | | | | |