ITASCA, IL -- By the end of June, some insurance companies have notified physicians they will cease covering many health care visits that occur by telephone or videoconference – with some carriers phasing out coverage even earlier. The American Academy of Pediatrics is issuing an urgent call for insurance companies and state Medicaid programs to extend payments for a minimum of 90 days past the expiration of the federal Public Health Emergency declaration.
“At least 66,000 children have been diagnosed with COVID-19. The pandemic is still affecting too many families to end this essential health care coverage for families,” said AAP President Sally Goza, MD, FAAP. “This sets up an impossible choice for families, many of whom are still fearful of visiting a physician in person, but whose children have urgent health care needs that could be accommodated by a telemedicine visit.”
The AAP has launched a campaign to urge families to call their pediatrician to catch up on well-child visits, vaccines, developmental screens, and other essential health care that cannot be delayed. Many pediatricians have adapted to provide some of this care by telemedicine, to minimize the time families must spend in a doctor’s office. Physicians have also rapidly escalated their ability to offer mental health counseling and other critical services by telehealth during the pandemic.
Individual pediatricians expressed dismay at the cut-off notice.
“Even though states are starting to open up, families are still frightened to come out,” said Sandy Chung, MD, FAAP, a pediatrician in Fairfax, Va., and president of the Virginia chapter of the AAP. “In our area, the coverage for telehealth visits will expire for several of the insurance companies we work with, and we’re afraid this will lead to many families delaying health care even longer.”
A recent Kaiser Family Foundation study found that nearly 50% of families have skipped or bypassed health care during this pandemic. It is anticipated that as the need for health care services builds, there will be a surge of patients seeking care. Telehealth will serve as a critical expansion of the pediatrician’s office to support this influx.
“Telemedicine has played a critical role in expanding access to care for many patients, including those who live in rural areas or in areas without access to reliable public transportation during the pandemic,” Dr. Goza said. “Those needs will not end in June. Nor will the needs of children with complex medical conditions, for whom the ability to interact with pediatric subspecialists sand pediatric surgeons to guide their follow-up care is critical for their long-term health.
“It is urgent that insurance companies recognize this need and continue the expansion of telemedicine policies that were established during this crisis, so all children can have access to the health care they need now.”
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The American Academy of Pediatrics is an organization of 67,000 primary care pediatricians, pediatric medical subspecialists and pediatric surgical specialists dedicated to the health, safety and well-being of infants, children, adolescents and young adults. For more information, visit www.aap.org and follow us on Twitter @AmerAcadPeds