Is Telemedicine Covered by Health Insurance?

Telemedicine has become a popular form of healthcare that allows medical providers to diagnose and treat patients remotely. Whether or not your telemedicine appointments will be covered by health insurance is dependent upon two factors: your state and insurance provider. The five big providers— UnitedHealthcare, Cigna, Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, and Humana— all have some form of coverage for telemedicine.

If you are unemployed or are unable to afford health insurance, Mira is an affordable healthcare alternative. With Mira, you can receive lab testings, urgent care visits, and up to 80% off on prescriptions for just $45 per month. Sign up today.

What Telemedicine Is

Telemedicine is a new, modern type of medicine where medical providers can remotely diagnose and treat patients via telecommunications technology. For patients, this allows you to receive medical care in the comfort of your own home. 

In doing so, you are able to protect yourself from going into medical facilities where you may be at higher risk of contracting certain illnesses, as well as protecting medical providers and other patients from any potential illness you may carry. Another benefit to telemedicine is that it can enable medical providers to reach more patients, as telemedicine operates seven days per week and patients save time by not having to come to the office.

Telemedicine cannot replace face-to-face consultations when it’s needed; however, it can act as a supplement for it. For example, telemedicine appointments are useful in conducting follow-up appointments and when providing prevention strategies to patients.

Telemedicine appointments can also be used for:

• Therapy sessions with mental health professionals
• Screenings for infections like COVID-19
• Nutrition counseling
• Check-ups with providers
• Providing care for individuals in rural areas