Key Takeaways
- About one in seven Americans (15.2 percent) is older than the age of 65.
Approximately 80 percent of these individuals have at least one chronic
condition; 77 percent have at least two. - Telehealth can improve affordable access to quality care by removing
traditional barriers, such as distance, mobility, and time constraints. It has
been shown to be as effective as in-person visits for certain conditions. - Recognizing telehealth can be a valuable tool for providing convenient
health care services to patients, health plans are working closely with
vendors to expand access to these services.
Telehealth has long been viewed as a game-changer for health care service
delivery. When fully embraced and executed, telehealth can expand and
enhance the delivery of health care services to geographically disadvantaged
or underserved populations. Consumer groups, providers, employers, and
health plans all see the expanded use of telehealth as means to give patients
more convenient access to high-quality, affordable health care. Beyond
promoting remote care that could be provided in the patient’s home, telehealth can also help avoid unnecessary and costly emergent or acute care, with an estimated savings of more than $6 billion annually.