SENATE BILL: Remote Medical Coverage (Passed)

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

AN ACT

To strengthen the delivery of mental health care services to every Atlasian

Be it enacted in the CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC OF ATLASIA

Remote Medical Coverage Act

Section I.

1. Definitions

a. Distant site means a site at which a health care provider legally allowed to practice by providing health care services by means of telemedicine.

b. Site of origination means a site where the patients resides or at which a patient is located at the time health care services are provided to him or her by means of telemedicine.

c. Telehealth means the use of information and communications technologies consisting of telephones, remote patient monitoring devices or other electronic means which support clinical health care, provider consultation, patient and professional health-related education, public health, health administration, or other services.

d. Telemedicine is defined as a form of telehealth which is the delivery of clinical health care services by means of real time two-way audio, visual, or other telecommunications or electronic communications, including the application of secure video conferencing or store and forward transfer technology to provide or support healthcare delivery, which facilitate the assessment, diagnosis, consultation, treatment, education, care management and self-management of a patient's health care by a health care provider practicing within his or her scope of practice as would be practiced in-person with a patient, legally allowed to practice in the state while such patient is at an originating site and the health care provider is at a distant site.

Section II. Coverage and Administration

1. Each insurer proposing to issue individual or group accident and sickness insurance policies providing hospital, medical and surgical, or major medical coverage on an expense-incurred basis; each corporation providing individual or group accident and sickness subscription contracts; and each health maintenance organization providing a health care plan for health care services shall provide coverage for the cost of such health care services provided through telemedicine.

2. Each insurer proposing to issue individual or group accident and sickness insurance policies providing hospital, medical and surgical, or major medical coverage on an expense-incurred basis; each corporation providing individual or group accident and sickness subscription contracts; and each health maintenance organization providing a health care plan for health care services shall provide coverage for the cost of such health care services provided through telehealth as directed.

3. The federal government, shall, enabled by this legislation to assume the cost of telemedicine only through a fund established through financing from insurance premiums.

Sponsor: Spark498
Senate Designation: SB29:24

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

The sponsor has 24 hours for advocacy and other members have 48 hours to respond.

[Senator-elect Spark]

The purpose of this bill is to provide protections for those who would like to receive telehealth or telemedicine and are currently uninsured. This legislation will establish a fund to provide medical coverage, the exact amount of which can be negotiated.

[Blair]

Telemedicine can play a huge role; while it has obvious and big benefits for rural communities, it's true that urban areas can benefit- even if it's just for minor check ups.

I would support possibly looking to write into Atlascare (through an amendment to this bill) the provisions around telecare that we are including for private insurance in the existing bill.

[SevenEleven]

Telemedicine can play a huge role; while it has obvious and big benefits for rural communities, it's true that urban areas can benefit- even if it's just for minor check ups.

I would support possibly looking to write into Atlascare (through an amendment to this bill) the provisions around telecare that we are including for private insurance in the existing bill.

Are you going to do this or should I?

[Blair]

Telemedicine can play a huge role; while it has obvious and big benefits for rural communities, it's true that urban areas can benefit- even if it's just for minor check ups.

I would support possibly looking to write into Atlascare (through an amendment to this bill) the provisions around telecare that we are including for private insurance in the existing bill.

Are you going to do this or should I?

Sorry this got last in my election chaos; will have something up on it tomorrow.

[Blair]

AN ACT

To strengthen the delivery of mental health care services to every Atlasian

Be it enacted in the CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC OF ATLASIA

Remote Medical Coverage Act

Section I.

1. Definitions

a. Distant site means a site at which a health care provider legally allowed to practice by providing health care services by means of telemedicine.

b. Site of origination means a site where the patients resides or at which a patient is located at the time health care services are provided to him or her by means of telemedicine.

c. Telehealth means the use of information and communications technologies consisting of telephones, remote patient monitoring devices or other electronic means which support clinical health care, provider consultation, patient and professional health-related education, public health, health administration, or other services.

d. Telemedicine is defined as a form of telehealth which is the delivery of clinical health care services by means of real time two-way audio, visual, or other telecommunications or electronic communications, including the application of secure video conferencing or store and forward transfer technology to provide or support healthcare delivery, which facilitate the assessment, diagnosis, consultation, treatment, education, care management and self-management of a patient's health care by a health care provider practicing within his or her scope of practice as would be practiced in-person with a patient, legally allowed to practice in the state while such patient is at an originating site and the health care provider is at a distant site.

Section II. Coverage and Administration

1. Each insurer proposing to issue individual or group accident and sickness insurance policies providing hospital, medical and surgical, or major medical coverage on an expense-incurred basis; each corporation providing individual or group accident and sickness subscription contracts; and each health maintenance organization providing a health care plan for health care services shall provide coverage for the cost of such health care services provided through telemedicine.

2. Each insurer proposing to issue individual or group accident and sickness insurance policies providing hospital, medical and surgical, or major medical coverage on an expense-incurred basis; each corporation providing individual or group accident and sickness subscription contracts; and each health maintenance organization providing a health care plan for health care services shall provide coverage for the cost of such health care services provided through telehealth as directed.

3. The federal government, shall, enabled by this legislation to assume the cost of telemedicine only through a fund established through financing from insurance premiums.

4.) Public healthcare plans created in the 'Reforming and Regionalizing Public Healthcare Act of 2017' shall hereby include coverage for telehealth services.

[SevenEleven]

I support this amendment.

[Senator-elect Spark]

I support the amendment to expand access as much as possible. Thank you for this addition.

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

Seeing no objections since sponsor feedback, the amendment is adopted.

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

So final vote?

[Blair]

motion for a final vote

[Blair]

and 24 hours to object

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

A final vote is now open on this legislation, Senators please vote Aye, Nay or Abstain.

[Pericles]

Aye

[SevenEleven]

Aye.

[Senator-elect Spark]

Aye

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

Aye

[Left Wing]

Aye

[Blair]

Aye

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

Vote on Final Passage of the Remote Medical Coverage Act:

Aye (6): Blair, Falterin, NC Yankee, Pericles, Sev and Spark
Nay (0):
Abstain (0):

Didn't Vote (0):

This bill has passed the Senate and is sent to the VP for House action

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

AN ACT

To strengthen the delivery of mental health care services to every Atlasian

Be it enacted in the CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC OF ATLASIA

Remote Medical Coverage Act

Section I.

1. Definitions

a. Distant site means a site at which a health care provider legally allowed to practice by providing health care services by means of telemedicine.

b. Site of origination means a site where the patients resides or at which a patient is located at the time health care services are provided to him or her by means of telemedicine.

c. Telehealth means the use of information and communications technologies consisting of telephones, remote patient monitoring devices or other electronic means which support clinical health care, provider consultation, patient and professional health-related education, public health, health administration, or other services.

d. Telemedicine is defined as a form of telehealth which is the delivery of clinical health care services by means of real time two-way audio, visual, or other telecommunications or electronic communications, including the application of secure video conferencing or store and forward transfer technology to provide or support healthcare delivery, which facilitate the assessment, diagnosis, consultation, treatment, education, care management and self-management of a patient's health care by a health care provider practicing within his or her scope of practice as would be practiced in-person with a patient, legally allowed to practice in the state while such patient is at an originating site and the health care provider is at a distant site.

Section II. Coverage and Administration

1. Each insurer proposing to issue individual or group accident and sickness insurance policies providing hospital, medical and surgical, or major medical coverage on an expense-incurred basis; each corporation providing individual or group accident and sickness subscription contracts; and each health maintenance organization providing a health care plan for health care services shall provide coverage for the cost of such health care services provided through telemedicine.

2. Each insurer proposing to issue individual or group accident and sickness insurance policies providing hospital, medical and surgical, or major medical coverage on an expense-incurred basis; each corporation providing individual or group accident and sickness subscription contracts; and each health maintenance organization providing a health care plan for health care services shall provide coverage for the cost of such health care services provided through telehealth as directed.

3. The federal government, shall, enabled by this legislation to assume the cost of telemedicine only through a fund established through financing from insurance premiums.

4.) Public healthcare plans created in the 'Reforming and Regionalizing Public Healthcare Act of 2017' shall hereby include coverage for telehealth services.

People's Regional Senate
Passed 6-0 in the Atlasian Senate Assembled,