The Pennsylvania Senate passed SB 705 authorizing the regulation of telemedicine by professional licensing boards and providing for insurance coverage of telemedicine. Sponsored by Sen. Elder Vogel, SB 705 now heads to the House of Representatives for its consideration. The bill has language that was in the previous version of the bill that led to the governor vetoing the bill last session. When vetoing SB 857 last session, Gov. Wolf noted that “this legislation arbitrarily restricts the use of telemedicine for certain doctor-patient interactions. As amended, this bill interferes with women’s health care and the crucial decision-making between patients and their physicians.” At this time, the Pennsylvania House of Representatives is not expected to act on this legislation.
