The Minnesota Senate this week unanimously approved a bill to provide remote medical coverage to more Minnesotans. Senate File 1160 expands Minnesota’s Telehealth Act to cover more procedures and takes steps towards coverage parity for all patients.

“Minnesota has been at the forefront of the shift toward telemedicine,” said Sen. Jeremy Miller (R-Winona). “Much of this is due to the dedicated, important work of Senate Finance Chair Julie Rosen, who wrote the original telehealth bill and has been a leading voice on this issue. The pandemic revealed just how important telehealth is for our future, and I am excited about the steps we are taking to make this critical service available to more Minnesotans.”

The bill prohibits providers from placing limits on telehealth coverage due to geography, location, or distance of travel. It also prohibits health plans from creating a separate provider network or from providing incentives for enrollees to use a separate provider network to receive services through telehealth, not including network providers who provide the same services in person. The bill also clarifies that audio visits can be used to meet requirements for scheduled appointments standard of care.

The bill allows a number of additional procedures to be conducted via telehealth:

• Monitoring procedures, such as for individuals with heart conditions or for women who are pregnant
• Chemical dependency services, including audio-only communication.
• Medication therapy management for MA recipients that are taking medications for one or more chronic conditions. 
• Comprehensive assessments for substance use disorder may be delivered in person or via telehealth.