Congress locks in zero-deductible telehealth for high-deductible plans

What it does

This bill makes permanent a temporary rule that allows high-deductible health plans (HDHPs) to cover telehealth services without requiring patients to meet the plan's deductible first. Currently, HDHPs must have a deductible for most services, but this bill exempts telehealth and remote care from that requirement, letting insurers offer zero-deductible telehealth while keeping high deductibles for in-person care.

Why we flagged it

The bill's sole operative function is to remove a sunset provision and make permanent a tax-code exemption that lowers out-of-pocket costs for telehealth under high-deductible plans. It is a straightforward healthcare access measure with no hidden riders or unrelated provisions.

What the text implies

• Permanent exemption may increase telehealth utilization and shift care away from in-person visits, potentially reducing revenue for traditional primary-care practices while benefiting telehealth platforms and remote-care providers.
• By allowing zero-deductible telehealth while maintaining high deductibles for in-person care, the bill creates a two-tier cost structure that may incentivize patients to use telehealth even when in-person care is clinically preferable.
• The exemption applies only to HDHPs, so it does not benefit the uninsured or those in traditional insurance plans, potentially widening access disparities between plan types.

Section numbers refer to the bill text the analysis read — linked under Primary records below.

Who it affects

Ordinary people with high-deductible health plans gain permanent access to telehealth without paying a deductible, lowering out-of-pocket costs for remote care and removing uncertainty about whether the benefit will expire. This encourages preventive and routine care via telehealth, which is typically cheaper and more convenient than in-person visits.

Who stands to gain

• telehealth platforms and providers
• health insurers (via reduced claims costs and increased plan attractiveness)
• remote care technology companies

Named in the bill

Internal Revenue Code Section 223, high-deductible health plans (HDHPs), telehealth and remote care services, Senate Committee on Finance

Where it stands

2 cosponsors: 1 Democrats, 1 Republicans.

• Feb 27, 2025 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in Senate”
• Feb 27, 2025 — Referred to Senate Committee on Finance · Congress.gov: “Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance”

Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.

Money around this bill

12 lobbying clients named this bill on 17 disclosure filings across 3 quarters, Dec 2025 to Jun 2026. Those filings disclosed $41,530,000 in lobbying spend. A filing names 12 bills on average, so that figure is what each filing reported, not a share belonging to this bill.

More lobbying clients named this bill than 93% of bills with at least one filing.

Steve Daines, the sponsor, reported $901,144 in PAC receipts in the 2026 cycle.

• Chamber of Commerce of the U.S.A. — $37,710,000 on 2 filings
• Consumer Technology Association — $2,450,000 on 2 filings
• Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America — $410,000 on 2 filings
• American Heart Association — $400,000 on 1 filing
• Alliance for Connected Care — $200,000 on 1 filing

Lobbying Disclosure Act filings through Jul 20, 2026. A filing shows who paid to lobby on a bill it names, not what changed.