Health plan sponsors have the flexibility they need to improve access and steer their workforce toward high-quality, high-value care
The permanent extension of pre-deductible telehealth coverage for people enrolled in HSA-eligible high-deductible health plans (HDHPs) is a notable bright spot among recent changes to federal healthcare policy. It's a major win for consumers and employers.
This telehealth safe harbor provision (as it's known) — signed into law on July 4, 2025, as part of the One Big Beautiful Bill — solidifies what many already recognize: virtual care is a core component of healthcare delivery. It is now embedded across the healthcare landscape.
Employers — especially large self-funded employers — have played a central role in making virtual care more accessible and affordable for the U.S. workforce. The new legislation ensures that a growing share of individuals and families will continue to have access to high-quality virtual urgent care, primary care, mental health support, and more. It also gives employers the tools and flexibility they need to support their workforce.
Pre-deductible telehealth coverage has proven to be a powerful lever to help employees make healthcare decisions that are mutually beneficial for themselves, their loved ones, and the health of their employer. … [T]he safe harbor provision has given employers that option without a looming expiration date, empowering them to think bigger about the long-term role of virtual care in keeping their workforce healthy, happy, and productive.
At a time of so much uncertainty and anxiety in healthcare, the safe harbor provision is a much-needed safe space for consumers and employers.
Ami Parekh
About the author
Ami Parekh, MD, JD, leads the strategy, operations and quality for our national primary care, urgent care, behavioral health, clinical navigation and population health management practices. Previously, she was Chief Medical Officer for Population Health and Clinical Integration at UCSF Health, and also worked at McKinsey. Ami serves on the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts board of directors. After Yale Medical School and Yale Law School, she completed her Internal Medicine Residency at Harvard’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital.
