Dear Editor,
It is hard to believe anything good came from COVID-19. Many people became sick, many people died and many people’s lives as they knew it changed forever.
Despite this, COVID-19 increased the broader use of telehealth services in the medical, behavioral and mental health fields. Patients who used to have to travel long distances, take time off from work, find childcare or all of the above could attend some of their appointments from the comfort and safety of their homes.
Telehealth services have provided patients with more flexibility, as they can attend appointments during their work breaks, between other appointments, or at a more convenient time. Unfortunately, Medicare, an insurance plan more than 60 million Americans are enrolled in, has only approved the use of telehealth services, as we now have seen, through Dec. 31.
Unless legislation is changed or the current legislation is extended, after Dec. 31, Medicare will no longer pay for telehealth services when the person is not attending the appointment in a rural area or from a medical facility, with some exceptions.
South Carolina Medicaid extended its acceptance of telehealth services through May 10. From the perspective of a healthcare worker, one concern with the uncertainty of whether telehealth will continue to be accepted is someone might start receiving necessary care via telehealth services. Still, they might suddenly and prematurely have to discontinue their treatment because their insurance no longer covers their telehealth appointments. If a person can attend various appointments via telehealth and the standard of care they have received has not been compromised, it stands to reason they could continue attending appointments via telehealth.
We have seen time and time again that physical and mental health are connected, and health affects other daily functions. Making it more difficult for someone to attend healthcare appointments can and will affect different parts of their lives.
Unfortunately, if healthcare services return to their pre-pandemic state, with fewer telehealth options, it is likely that some people will stop receiving necessary care because factors such as transportation, time off work, and childcare frequently affect people’s ability to attend appointments. I urge insurance companies to continue approving telehealth appointments so many Americans can continue receiving needed healthcare.
