Telemedicine Is Here to Stay

August 6, 2021

On July 21, 2021, Governor Pritzker signed House Bill 3308 into law, which expands access to telemedicine services for patients throughout Illinois. Many of the emergency telemedicine rules that were authorized during COVID-19 are now permanent. 

For a comprehensive overview of the new telemedicine legislation, access ISMS’ new Issue Brief, Telemedicine in Illinois: Emergency Measures Made Permanent. 

Despite various telemedicine tools and technologies being around for decades, it took the global pandemic to cut through regulatory and health insurer barriers preventing widespread adoption. Policies put in place through executive order proved incredibly successful and allowed patients to access care during the health crisis.

The new law (Public Act 102-0104) is applicable to state regulated insurance plans. It is important to note that Medicare and most health insurance plans obtained through employers are regulated at the federal level and, therefore, are not subject to the provisions in the new law. Although many of these plans are providing expanded coverage for telehealth services, you must check with individual plans to determine their coverage policies. Read more in our new Issue Brief.

Questions? Please contact the ISMS Health Policy Research and Advocacy team by email.