(a) (1) A contract issued, amended, or renewed on or after January 1, 2021, between a health care service plan and a health care provider for the provision of health care services to an enrollee or subscriber shall specify that the health care service plan shall reimburse the treating or consulting health care provider for the diagnosis, consultation, or treatment of an enrollee or subscriber appropriately delivered through telehealth services on the same basis and to the same extent that the health care service plan is responsible for reimbursement for the same service through in-person diagnosis, consultation, or treatment.

(2) This section does not limit the ability of a health care service plan and a health care provider to negotiate the rate of reimbursement for a health care service provided pursuant to a contract subject to this section. Services that are the same, as determined by the provider’s description of the service on the claim, shall be reimbursed at the same rate whether provided in person or through telehealth. When negotiating a rate of reimbursement for telehealth services for which no in-person equivalent exists, a health care service plan and the provider shall ensure the rate is consistent with subdivision (h) of Section 1367.

(3) This section does not require telehealth reimbursement to be unbundled from other capitated or bundled, risk-based payments.

(b) (1) A health care service plan contract issued, amended, or renewed on or after January 1, 2021, shall specify that the health care service plan shall provide coverage for health care services appropriately delivered through telehealth services on the same basis and to the same extent that the health care service plan is responsible for coverage for the same service through in-person diagnosis, consultation, or treatment. Coverage shall not be limited only to services delivered by select third-party corporate telehealth providers.

(2) This section does not alter the obligation of a health care service plan to ensure that enrollees have access to all covered services through an adequate network of contracted providers, as required under Sections 1367, 1367.03, and 1367.035, and the regulations promulgated thereunder.

(3) This section does not require a health care service plan to cover telehealth services provided by an out-of-network provider, unless coverage is required under other provisions of law.

(c) A health care service plan may offer a contract containing a copayment or coinsurance requirement for a health care service delivered through telehealth services, provided that the copayment or coinsurance does not exceed the copayment or coinsurance applicable if the same services were delivered through in-person diagnosis, consultation, or treatment. This subdivision does not require cost sharing for services provided through telehealth.

(d) Services provided through telehealth and covered pursuant to this chapter shall be subject to the same deductible and annual or lifetime dollar maximum as equivalent services that are not provided through telehealth.

(e) The definitions in subdivision (a) of Section 2290.5 of the Business and Professions Code apply to this section.

(f) This section shall not apply to Medi-Cal managed care plans that contract with the State Department of Health Care Services pursuant to Chapter 7 (commencing with Section 14000) of, Chapter 8 (commencing with Section 14200) of, or Chapter 8.75 (commencing with Section 14591) of, Part 3 of Division 9 of the Welfare and Institutions Code.

(Added by Stats. 2019, Ch. 867, Sec. 3. (AB 744) Effective January 1, 2020.)