Pressure within Congress to expand Medicare coverage of telehealth and remote monitoring services is approaching critical mass. Multiple bills have recently been introduced with bipartisan support in both the House and the Senate, and a new bipartisan Congressional Telehealth Caucus has been formed in the House. To date, a majority of these bills focus on telemedicine expansion in Medicare for a variety of treatments and services ranging from home dialysis to stroke interventions.

Employers and private insurers are already embracing the trend as a way to make healthcare more convenient and affordable. Opponents, however, are concerned about the quality of care delivered and are leery that expanding telehealth coverage merely adds to costs by increasing usage of services by Americans who already have traditional access to providers.

Impact on General Dentistry: The AGD will continue to follow Congressional efforts to expand telemedicine to assess any potential impacts on general dentistry and oral health.