Industry News

On April 14, 2021, the American Academy of Actuaries (AAA) published its issue brief, Telehealth After COVID-19. Due to the COVID-19 public health emergency, the use of telehealth increased to limit the in-person health care utilization. Policymakers and regulators are considering new or revised public policies related to the availability and costs for current and future telehealth services particularly in a post-pandemic health system. In addition, the brief discusses that the other factors that need to be considered include the effects of telehealth on access to care, the costs of care, health outcomes, and potential fraud.

The brief concludes, “The fundamental considerations of how telehealth affects patient outcomes and the total cost of quality care and what characteristics influence the extent and timing of those effects needs investigation. The results of such research should help monitor quality, predict utilization, and ultimately help quantify how the total cost of care will change.”

The brief is available here.