Healthcare

UPDATED August 11, 2020

Update: On June 25, 2020, the FCC’s COVID-19 Telehealth Program stopped accepting new applications.

COVID-19 continues to push the federal government to eliminate barriers to full-scale adoption of telehealth services.     

Following a March 17, 2020 announcement that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) would relax telehealth restrictions on Medicare and make telehealth available for a broader number of patients, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) approved the COVID-19 Telehealth Program. 

The Department of Health and Human Services recently released the Transparency in Coverage proposed rule. It is a response to President Trump’s executive order to “Improve Pricing and Quality Transparency in American Healthcare.” It comes with significant implications for insurers, providers, consumers, and government agencies. The purpose behind it is to lower healthcare spending and increase quality by creating real-time, user-friendly data on pricing and healthcare service rates.