Debate: Should HSA-Compatible Plans Cover Telehealth Before the Deductible?

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, taxpayers have relied more heavily on remote health care services. Remote services were first offered as a necessity, as hospitals and medical facilities attempted to minimize the number of patients exposed to COVID-19 within these physical settings. Although the absolute need for telehealth services has decreased, because telehealth services offer such flexible options, the popularity of such services remains.

However, absent legislative action, the restrictions that were imposed by pre-existing regulations will resume — meaning that high-deductible health plans that are compatible with health savings accounts will no longer be authorized to cover the cost of remote preventative services before the participant’s deductible has been satisfied.

We asked professors Robert Bloink and William Byrnes, authors of ALM’s Tax Facts with opposing political viewpoints, to share their opinions about whether the favorable coverage rules that have applied to remote health care services should be made permanent.

Below is a summary of the debate that ensued between the two professors.

Their Votes:

Bloink

Byrnes

Their Reasons:

Bloink: Pre-deductible remote telehealth benefits should be made permanent. It’s 2022 and modern services like this should be the norm. A significant number of Americans have the technology necessary to access remote health care options without the need to travel to the doctor’s office — and that includes Medicare-eligible individuals.