Potential Healthcare Policy Changes Expected with the Biden Administration (Healthcare Business Today)

During President Biden’s campaign, he stated that he would preserve the ACA in order to make healthcare more accessible and affordable. COVID-19 has demonstrated not only the necessity of healthcare access, but also the potential of virtual care and telehealth. In 2020, over 20% of all medical visits were conducted via virtual appointments, and CMS was able to rapidly expand payment models to adjust to this new normal. Yet this did not shift the payment model to value-based care, nor did it address one of telehealth’s biggest detriments: that it can only work with a strong broadband internet connection. emocha’s CEO Sebastian Seiguer states: “The Direct Contracting Model has potential; in the future, and under the incoming administration, telehealth will not just be a stopgap measure for when doctor’s offices are unsafe to visit, but rather a multi-channel and affordable means of managing chronic conditions.” Telehealth can potentially address health inequities if the Biden administration “make[s] good on its promises to distribute grants effectively, invest in broadband infrastructure, and implement needed regulatory changes to provide the flexibility telehealth requires.”