Committee advances telehealth payment-parity bill, adopts amendment pushing effective date to 2027

The House Health and Social Services Committee advanced Senate Bill 83 on telehealth payment parity on March 19, adopting a single amendment that changes the bill’s effective date from Jan. 1, 2026 to Jan. 1, 2027 and passing the measure from committee by unanimous consent.

Supporters who testified said SB 83 aligns reimbursement with how care is already delivered and preserves access for patients who cannot travel to urban centers. Emily Niinan, Alaska government relations director for the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, told the committee that for many cancer patients outside Anchorage and Fairbanks telehealth is “care versus no care.” She said telehealth spares rural patients long trips for consultations and treatment decisions.

Dr. Victoria Kildall, chief executive officer of the Alaska Behavioral Health Association, said the bill is about equal pay for the same clinical service regardless of modality. “When the same clinical service is delivered by the same provider, it should be reimbursed the same regardless of whether it happens in person or through telehealth,” Kildall said, adding that without payment parity “we create a quiet but meaningful disincentive” that could reduce telehealth availability and limit access for behavioral-health patients.

Chair Representative Mina brought Amendment #1 to update the effective date to 01/01/2027; a committee member briefly objected for discussion and then removed the objection, and the amendment was adopted. A committee member then moved the bill as amended and, seeing no objection, Chair Mina announced SB 83 passed from committee. The committee took a short at-ease to sign the committee report.

Why it matters: Witnesses said telehealth is a practical necessity across Alaska’s large geography and that aligning reimbursement with in-person services stabilizes providers and patient access, particularly for behavioral-health and cancer care delivered to remote communities.

Next steps: SB 83 passed from the House Health and Social Services Committee and will proceed through the legislative process; the committee recorded no roll-call vote in this hearing, advancing the bill by unanimous consent.