Watch: A conversation on the future of telehealth
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
On Friday, June 23, Axios senior policy reporter Caitlin Owens and Axios Pro health care policy reporter Victoria Knight hosted conversations exploring the future of telehealth in the U.S.. Guests included Rep. Brad Schneider (D-Ill.) and American Medical Association president Dr. Jesse M. Ehrenfeld.
The View from the Top sponsored segment featured Teladoc Health CEO Jason Gorevic.
Rep. Brad Schneider explained the factors informing his work on telehealth policy and why telehealth has bipartisan support in Congress.
- On co-sponsoring the Telehealth Expansion Act of 2023: “This was a fairly straightforward decision for me because we’ve seen the benefits of telehealth. But I also know folks with high deductible health plans might be reluctant to have that meeting with their physician. So I want to make sure that they’re able to have access to telemedicine without having financial constraints blocking it for them.”
- On why telehealth has bipartisan support in Congress: “For different reasons in different places, whether you’re in a big city, a rural community or somewhere where it’s just hard to get to the doctor, telemedicine offers a pathway that provides health care, provides the quality care we need within the lifestyles that people are living, and different communities are going to face different challenges, but telehealth has a pathway to address challenges in all types of communities.”
Dr. Jesse M. Ehrenfeld discussed how telehealth can help physicians in addition to patients and how telemedicine can reduce inequities in health care.
- On telehealth as a tool for physicians: “We can bring back some of the joy in medicine, which is a challenge because there’s so many administrative obstacles and hassles that physicians experience today. And telehealth digital tools are one way that we can make it easier for physicians to practice medicine across the country.”
- On equalizing health care: “The great thing is that telehealth isn’t just about access. We see it as a really, really important tool to address some of the longstanding challenges around health inequities, particularly among marginalized communities.”
In the View from the Top segment, Jason Gorevic highlighted how virtual care can help people living with chronic conditions and diseases.
- “I talk about virtual care frequently as being one of the greatest equalizers in the health care system. Over half of our chronic care members live in underserved communities where they just wouldn’t have access to the best care that’s available.”
Thank you to Teladoc Health for sponsoring this event.
