The Michigan Senate today sent legislation to Gov. Snyder for approval that gives both doctors and patients insurance coverage if they use new telemedicine technology to diagnose and treat medical issues.
House Bills 5408 and 5421, sponsored by state Reps. Gail Haines, R-Waterford, and Matt Lori, R-Constantine, allow the use of telemedicine for medical diagnosis, care and education. Telemedicine uses information technology such as transmission of medical imagining and health informatics data between sites to communicate between patients and medical staff.
“Patients in rural areas often live quite a distance from the local hospital, and this legislation will ensure that they receive high quality health care without the extra burden of long travel time and high gas prices,” Lori said. “The services that are covered under these bills are already covered under Medicaid, so it is common sense that we make them available to private insurers as well.”