# Plain Language Summary: Ensuring Parity in MA for Audio-Only Telehealth Act of 2021

This bill requires health insurance plans in Massachusetts to cover audio-only telehealth visits (phone calls with doctors) the same way they cover video telehealth visits. Right now, some insurance plans treat these differently—they might cover a video visit with your doctor but charge you more or don't cover a phone-only appointment at all. This bill says that can't happen. If your insurance covers a telehealth visit by video, it has to cover a phone-only visit with the same copay, deductible, and coverage level.

The practical impact is straightforward: it makes getting medical care by phone just as accessible and affordable as getting it by video. This matters especially for people without reliable internet or video equipment, older adults who might not be comfortable with video technology, people in rural areas with poor internet connections, and anyone who simply prefers talking to their doctor on the phone. It also helps during situations where video isn't possible—like when you're driving or don't have privacy for a video call. Insurance companies can't use the lack of video as an excuse to charge you more or deny coverage.

This change applies to health insurance plans regulated by Massachusetts, so it primarily affects people who live in Massachusetts and get their health insurance through plans subject to state regulation. The goal is to make sure that financial barriers or insurance rules don't prevent people from accessing care through phone visits, which can be just as effective as video for many types of medical consultations.

Ensuring Parity in MA for Audio-Only Telehealth Act of 2021

Cortez Masto, Catherine

Ensuring Parity in MA for Audio-Only Telehealth Act of 2021 This bill allows audio-only diagnoses that are made via telehealth to be used for purposes of determining risk adjustments to payments under Medicare Advantage. Additionally, the bill requires payments for Medicare telehealth services that are furnished during the public health emergency relating to COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) to be made in the same amounts as those for in-person services.