During the pandemic, Congress allowed telehealth services to be provided to HSA-eligible individuals without cost-sharing and without regard to whether they had met their deductibles under their High Deductible Health Plans. That authorization expired December 31, 2021. Congress then again allowed deductible-free telehealth services to resume from April 1, 2022, through December 31, 2022. Unless this authorization is extended again, plans covering HSA-eligible individuals will have to require that telehealth services be provided to those individuals on the same terms as in-person care, i.e., the deductible must be met before telehealth can be provided without further charge to the patient. If an employer fails to change its plan accordingly and continues to cover telehealth services without any cost-sharing, those who would otherwise be HSA-eligible will lose that eligibility due to the availability of general telehealth services prior to meeting their HDHP deductibles.
The American Benefits Council, of which The Wagner Law Group is a member, has written a letter to Congress explaining the need for an extension of the ability to provide telehealth services to HSA-eligible individuals without cost-sharing. The Wagner Law Group has signed on to this letter. Along with the American Benefits Council and its other members, we urge Congress to further extend this authorization.
Please click here to view the American Benefits Council’s letter.
