Out-of-Pocket Payment Deters Telemental Healthcare Use

Recent research shows that requiring patients to pay out of pocket for telehealth visits is linked to substantially fewer telemental health visits.Published in JAMA Network Open, the study assessed the effect of a regulatory exemption on telehealth utilization among patients seeking mental healthcare. The exemption allowed people with high deductible health plans (HDHPs) to have telehealth visits without paying a deductible. The exemption is slated to expire at the end of 2024.Researchers from Harvard Medical School, telehealth provider Included Health, the University of Michigan, and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center set out to examine telemental healthcare utilization changes linked to the reintroduction of cost sharing.