Opinion: Low-tech but high-value: Don’t stop reimbursing phone-only telehealth visits
At the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and private insurers made the timely decision to rapidly expand coverage for telehealth visits, throwing a lifeline to millions of Americans who needed ongoing medical care despite nationwide stay-at-home orders.
At the time, virtual visits done by video or by telephone were covered at the same rates as conventional, in-person office visits.
