Telemedicine services; extend repealer on requirement that insurance plans in MS provide coverage for.
Summary
House Bill 960 extends the sunset date on Mississippi’s telemedicine coverage mandate. Under current law, health insurance plans and employee benefit plans must cover telemedicine services to the same extent as comparable in-person services, and HB960 keeps that requirement in place by moving the repealer date from July 1, 2025 to July 1, 2028. The bill preserves existing definitions and rules governing telemedicine, including coverage for remote patient monitoring and store-and-forward services, and the requirement that most telemedicine be delivered through real-time audio-visual communication unless the Insurance Commissioner allows certain audio-only interactions when medically appropriate.
The bill also continues several billing and reimbursement rules. Plans may impose deductibles, copayments, or coinsurance for telemedicine, but not at a higher level than for in-person care. Out-of-network telemedicine providers must be reimbursed under the same policies that apply to other out-of-network providers, claims must use the proper procedure codes and modifiers, and originating sites may receive facility fees while distant sites may not. The bill states that it does not create new standards of care and authorizes the Commissioner of Insurance to adopt administrative rules.
Impact
HB960 would amend Section 83-9-351 of the Mississippi Code by extending the life of the state’s telemedicine parity law for three additional years. Its practical effect is to keep in force coverage requirements for health insurers, the State and School Employees Health Insurance Plan, other public health care assistance programs, and employee benefit plans that are subject to the statute. It affects insurers, employers offering benefit plans, telemedicine providers, and patients by preserving reimbursement and coverage rules for virtual care through July 1, 2028.
Sentiment
The bill appears to have broad support and little visible opposition. It passed the House unanimously, 115-0, indicating strong bipartisan agreement or at least no recorded dissent. The absence of committee transcript discussion suggests the measure was likely viewed as a straightforward extension of an existing telehealth policy rather than a controversial change.
Contention
No major points of contention are reflected in the available record. The bill does preserve some policy details that could matter to stakeholders, such as whether audio-only telemedicine is allowed, how out-of-network providers are reimbursed, and whether facility fees apply at originating sites, but there is no evidence in the provided materials of disagreement over those issues. The main legislative choice is simply whether to continue the telemedicine coverage mandate beyond its current sunset date.
Revises telehealth and telemedicine requirements concerning adult prescription of certain Schedule II drugs for treatment of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.