ASAM Joins Calls to Urge Aetna to Reverse Course on Proposed Telehealth Policy Changes

ASAM joined several national medical specialty societies and other advocates to raise concerns about the health insurer, Aetna’s recent decision to terminate several services for the treatment of mental health (MH) disorders and substance use disorder (SUD) via telehealth, effective December 1, 2023. Advocates are urging Aetna to reexamine this decision, which could have a calamitous impact on enrollees who rely on these services. Additionally, advocates have noted that Aetna's decision to terminate telehealth coverage would be out of step with decisions by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) to cover certain telehealth services through 2024. In the past, CMS and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) have encouraged state Medicaid programs to expand telehealth coverage of MH and SUD treatment services. Separately, the DEA has made regulatory movement to expand the use of telemedicine to treat MH disorders and SUD.

Read the letter here.