Gov. Mike Dunleavy recently signed House Bill 265 into law. It’s a piece of legislation that eliminates administrative red tape on providers and gives health care providers licensed in the state the option to deliver care via telehealth without an in-person visit when appropriate. The law also requires parity for Medicaid reimbursement rates of all services delivered via telehealth.
Rep. Ivy Sponholtz, sponsor of the bill, spoke on the legislation on the House floor earlier this year:
“House Bill 265 seeks to create essentially a legislative framework for expanding permanent access to telehealth without giving up our state oversight and assurance that we can be protecting Alaskans. In a lot of ways, it does this by expanding access to telehealth while maintaining statutory and regulatory flexibilities that have made it easier to get access to care, ensures that all healthcare providers licensed in Alaska will be allowed to deliver healthcare without an in-person examination. It ensures telehealth delivery and Medicaid payment services related to behavioral health and opioid use disorder and Medicaid assistance treatment are able to continue.”
House Bill 265 prevents disruption to the state’s healthcare system by getting rid of red tape for providers. The bill requires equal pay for equal work from Medicaid for services delivered via telehealth and makes sure that all Alaskans have access to care. The legislation would also improve access to out-of-state specialty care by allowing follow-up through telehealth after an in-person visit, and patient consultations via telehealth for life-threatening conditions.
Without House Bill 265, Alaskans reportedly would have risked losing expanded telehealth access when the federal Public Health Emergency expired this month. Over 40 health care organizations from across the state have supported the legislation.
Transcribed audio courtesy of KTOO 360TV. Photo courtesy of the Alaska House Coalition.