More Telehealth Benefits Coming To Medicare Advantage Plans In 2020
Access to telehealth services for seniors got another boost Friday when the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services said it would allow private Medicare Advantage plans to offer additional access to virtual doctors in their basic benefit packages.
The so-called final rule will bring new benefits to seniors in 2020 as part of their Medicare Advantage plans. Such coverage is growing rapidly and expected to account for half of Medicare beneficiaries in the coming years, some analysts say.
“Historically, Medicare Advantage plans have been able to offer more telehealth services, compared to Original Medicare, as part of their supplemental benefits,” the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) said Friday. “But with the final rule, it will be more likely that plans will offer the additional telehealth benefits outside of supplemental benefits, expanding patients’ access to telehealth services from more providers and in more parts of the country than before, whether they live in rural or urban areas.”
It could be a huge boon to companies like American Well, MDLive and Teladoc and an array of startups getting into the business of offering access to physicians and patients via smart phone, tablet or computer. Employers and private insurers are already embracing the trend as a way to make healthcare more convenient and avoid costly and unnecessary trips to the emergency room or a more expensive physician’s office.
“This is a bold and important move by CMS, signaling to the rest of the healthcare system that telehealth based care is simply another form of care and should be treated as such,” MDLive’s chief medical officer and executive vice president of product strategy, Dr. Lyle Berkowitz said. “This is a rare win for providers, patients and payors.”
Increasingly popular Medicare Advantage plans contract with the federal government to provide extra benefits and services to seniors, such as disease management and nurse help hotlines, with some even providing vision and dental care and wellness programs. Medicare Advantage enrollment is projected to rise to 38 million, or 50% market penetration, by the end of 2025, L.E.K. Consulting projects.
“With these new telehealth benefits, Medicare Advantage enrollees will be able to access the latest technology and have greater access to telehealth,” CMS Administrator Seema Verma said Friday in a statement. “By providing greater flexibility to Medicare Advantage plans, beneficiaries can receive more benefits, at lower costs and better quality.”