Employers Push for Renewal of Expired Covid Telehealth Waiver

Employers and health-care organizations are pushing Congress and the IRS to waive deductible requirements for telehealth services for 32 million people with some employer-sponsored plans.

An emergency Covid-19 policy expired Dec. 31 that enabled people with high-deductible plans and health savings accounts (HSAs) to get telehealth coverage without first having to meet annual deductibles. Some people who had been receiving care at little or no cost by computer or telephone are now receiving bills.

“They’re unhappy, and they are expressing that to their company and to their insurers,” said James Gelfand, executive vice president of public affairs for the ERISA ...