HB3498 Summary: Telehealth Services

• Amends the Illinois Insurance Code to require health insurance coverage of telehealth services on the same basis as in-person services, with equal reimbursement rates and cost-sharing requirements.

• Expands the definition of "telehealth services" in the Telehealth Act to include interactive telecommunications systems (audio and video or telephone), asynchronous store-and-forward systems, remote patient monitoring, e-visits, and virtual check-ins.

• Prohibits health insurers from imposing geographic restrictions, requiring hardship documentation, negotiating different rates, or mandating patient use of telehealth; procedure code modifiers may be required to document telehealth use.

• Requires the Department of Healthcare and Family Services to ensure Medicaid compliance with Telehealth Act requirements and provides for reimbursement to facilities serving as originating sites for telehealth services.

• Allows emergency rulemaking by the Department of Insurance, Department of Financial and Professional Regulation, and Department of Healthcare and Family Services through January 1, 2026, to implement the bill's provisions.