Governor Inslee has issued a proclamation outlining obligations of health plans to pay for health services that are delivered via telehealth in par with in-person services. Below is an excerpt of the proclamation. Full text is attached.
FURTHERMORE, based on the above situation and under the provisions of RCW 43.06.220(1)(h), to help preserve and maintain life, health, property or the public peace in addressing the COVID-19 State of Emergency, and for services provided during the period for which the above statutory waiver is in effect, I also prohibit the following activities by health carriers to encourage health care providers to provide telemedicine services by providing for payment parity between telemedicine and in-person medical services:
- Reimbursing in-network providers for telemedicine claims for medically necessary covered services at a rate lower than the contracted rate that would be paid if the services had been delivered through traditional (in-person) methods.
- Denying a telemedicine claim from an in-network provider for a medically necessary covered service due to an existing provider contract term with that provider that denies reimbursement for services provided through telemedicine.
- Establishing requirements for the payment of telemedicine services that are inconsistent with the emergency orders, rules or technical advisories to carriers issued by the Office of the Insurance Commissioner.
Violators of this of this order may be subject to criminal penalties pursuant to RCW 43.06.220(5).
