Committee hears plea to keep audio‑only telehealth and payment parity in place

Bolu Adiromo, a Johns Hopkins health policy fellow testifying for Delegate Peña‑Melnick’s panel, told the committee House Bill 869 would ‘‘preserve telehealth access’’ by removing the June 2025 sunset on audio‑only coverage and by maintaining payment parity where the commission has recommended it. ‘‘This bill could transform our health care, which is every corner of Maryland,’’ Adiromo said.

Nut graf: HB 869 would extend pandemic‑era telehealth flexibilities, preserve coverage for audio‑only visits for medically necessary services (including somatic, behavioral and dental care where clinically appropriate) and ask the Maryland Health Care Commission for periodic reporting on telehealth trends. Hospitals, behavioral‑health providers and community clinics said audio‑only services remain vital for patients without broadband or devices; insurers supported a similar policy but requested MHCC reports at regular intervals to keep pace with changing modalities.

Johns Hopkins and University of Maryland telehealth leads described major adoption: Johns Hopkins’ medical director said the system grew from about 800 telehealth visits pre‑COVID to more than 2.3 million over five years, and telehealth now accounts for roughly 12 percent of outpatient volume across specialties. Community behavioral providers and Shepherd Pratt said audio‑only care is critical for clients who lack Internet access; Shepherd Pratt estimated it would lose 40 percent of its outpatient patients if forced back to in‑person only care.

Ending: MIA and MHCC staff said they supported the bill; insurers asked for an MHCC reporting cadence to stay current with technology. The committee heard no final vote at the session.