HB 30-06: Remote Medical Coverage Act (DEBATING)

[OBD]

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,

Sponsor: MB
Status:

[Dr. MB]

I can sponsor this

[OBD]

Sponsorship recognized.

[Dr. MB]

This bill just extends health coverage to remote visits. It's good because many people under the Covid pandemic haven't been able to visit the doctor physically and even in the future it might be necessary for some people to have a conference with the doctor from their own house. It's just like any other type of medical care and it should be covered like that.

[Harvey Updyke Jr🌹]

This bill is important for the health and mental health of our citizens.

[Joseph Cao]

I would propose an amendment to fix that typo in Section II.3 but I'm pretty sure the sponsor can easily do that themselves without going through the amendment motions. Aside from that, this is a nice bill that will do the vital job of patching telehealth services into our existing healthcare coverage. Bit of an oversight on our part that this wasn't done earlier, but we should be better placed with this bill in future.

If debate stalls out after this, I would be fine with a final vote.

[Continential]

Motioning for a final vote.

[Esteemed Jimmy]

Motioning for a final vote.

Seconding this.

[Left Wing]

24 hours to object

[Left Wing]

Final vote now open.

[Esteemed Jimmy]

Aye

[Joseph Cao]

Aye, though I am rather miffed that neither the sponsor nor the Vice-President ever responded to my concerns. Spilled milk, I guess.

[Continential]

Aye

[Saint Milei]

aye

[Talleyrand]

Aye

[lfromnj]

Aye

[Joseph Cao]

Also, um, this is rather a moot point with the vote expiring within 24 hours, but since MB is no longer in the House I move to assume sponsorship.

24 hours to object or until the vote is closed, whichever comes first.

[Starry Eyed Jagaloon]

Aye

[P. Clodius Pulcher did nothing wrong]

Aye

[Left Wing]

This passes 8-0-0-1

Aye: Jimmy, Cao, Ishan, DeadPrez, Talleyrand, lfromnj, Blairite, razze
Nay:
Abstain:
Didn't Vote: Harvey

[Left Wing]

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,

People's House of Representatives
Passed 8-0-01 in the People's House of Representatives