WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congresswoman Jahana Hayes (CT-05) introduced the Fair Telehealth Billing Act of 2024 to prohibit healthcare providers from imposing certain facility fees for telehealth services, lowering the cost to the patient.
Facility fees are often used by hospitals and providers to maximize revenue and are added on top of professional service fees. There is often little transparency on when, how, or why hospitals charge patients these supplemental fees for telehealth services. According to the National Academy for State Health Policy, facility fees can increase out-of-pocket costs for patients by as much as $1,000.
“The Fair Telehealth Billing Act is a commonsense approach to lower the overall cost of telehealth care by eliminating unnecessary fees,” said Congresswoman Hayes. “Patients should not pay for facility fees if they are receiving telehealth services and never step into a physical medical office. This legislation prevents healthcare providers from charging arbitrary fees while protecting protects patients from runaway costs of care.”
Further, patients are often charged separately for professional service and facility fees, resulting in double billing. The Fair Telehealth Billing Act of 2024 prevents health care facilities from charging consumers a separate facility fee. This legislation ensures facility fees for telehealth would only be permitted when there is no professional fee available to the billing provider. This approach is fair to health care providers, who will get paid for their services, and to patients, who will only receive one bill for the care they receive through telehealth.
The Fair Telehealth Billing Act of 2024 builds off an amendment Congresswoman Hayes offered before the House Committee on Education and the Workforce in September, which was unanimously adopted into H.R. 9457.
During her time in the House of Representatives, Congresswoman Hayes has continued to advocate for policies and investments to lower the cost of healthcare. The Fair Telehealth Billing Act of 2024 is the latest proposal by Congresswoman Hayes to protect patients and make healthcare more accessible and affordable for all.