1. Your insurance most likely covers a virtual doctor’s visit
As we all know, before the COVID-19 pandemic, many insurers did not cover telemedicine appointments. Fortunately, everything has changed now. According to James R. Powell, MD, CEO of Long Island Select Healthcare, both Medicaid and Medicare made changes in March and April to their policies in order to “encourage telehealth use for this emergency period,” and many “commercial insurers are following suit.”
“Ask your doctor’s office whether they are providing telehealth as an alternative to an in-clinic visit, and whether it will be covered. Call your insurer to ask about telehealth coverage or go online to see your covered benefits. They may have updated their websites to reflect the answer to your questions,” he says. “Many insurers have sent us letters letting us know that they will be covering telemedicine services until this crisis is over.”
