Imagine a mother who is juggling two children under the age of five and a full-time hourly wage job. When her child contracts pink eye or a worsening cold or a sinus infection or asthma, she is forced to choose between giving up wages to see the primary care physician or going to the emergency department that is unable to turn her away, even if she cannot pay, after work hours. Many choose the latter option but it is costly and risks additional illness. While retail clinics have closed some of the gap in primary care, telehealth visits have the potential to close even more of the gap. Unfortunately, these visits are rarely covered by private payers and are rarely covered by public payers like Medicare and Medicaid. So, unless the mother can afford $40-55, the telehealth visit, while saving time, will not be utilized.
