HB 17-1094

House Bill 17-1094, also known as the Telehealth Coverage Under Health Benefit Plans bill, ensures that health insurance plans cover telehealth services (like video calls with doctors) just like in-person visits. This means your plan can't limit coverage based on the technology used for these virtual appointments and must still offer local providers for face-to-face care when needed. The bill also specifies that patients can use their own internet or phone connections for these services without having to pay extra fees, as long as they meet certain privacy standards. Since it has been signed into law, health insurance plans in Colorado are now required to follow these guidelines.

Official Summary

Under current law, health benefit plans are required to cover health care services delivered to a covered person by a provider via telehealth in the same manner that the plan covers health care services delivered by a provider in person. The bill clarifies that: A health plan cannot restrict or deny coverage of telehealth services based on the communication technology or application used to deliver the telehealth services; The availability of telehealth services does not change a carrier's obligation to contract with providers available in the community to provide in-person services; A covered person may receive telehealth services from a private residence, but the carrier is not required to pay or reimburse for any transmission costs or originating site fees the covered person incurs; A carrier is to apply the applicable copayment, coinsurance, or deductible amount to health care services a covered person receives through telehealth, which amount cannot exceed the amount applicable to those health care services when delivered through in-person care; and Telehealth includes health care services provided through HIPAA-compliant audio-visual communication or the use of a HIPAA-compliant application via a cellular telephone but does not include voice-only telephone communication or text messaging.(Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.)

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