DC Council Votes to Extend Telehealth Coverage for Postpartum Care
Washington DC is set to enact a law that would enable new mothers to access postpartum care via telehealth for at least a year after their baby is born.
- Washington DC lawmakers are set to enact a new law that would greatly expand telehealth coverage for postpartum care.
The Postpartum Coverage Expansion Act Amendment of 2020, which was passed unanimously by the DC Council, extends postpartum inpatient and outpatient benefits through Medicaid from up to 60 days after childbirth to at least a year, and instructs the mayor to seek approval from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services that all Medicaid health policies cover “innovative models of care,” include telehealth visits, remote patient monitoring and mHealth interventions.
“With this mandate, DC is leading the country in new ways to improve health outcomes,” Osazee S. Imadojemu, MPH, former Deputy Committee Director for the Committee on Health at the DC Council, said in a press release. “This step towards digital health reimbursement is the latest in a string of initiatives that show DC’s dedication to expanding the use of virtual care.”