Michelle Savuto, Manager, Manatt Health | Jacqueline Marks-Smith, Senior Manager, Manatt Health | Jared Augenstein, Managing Director, Manatt Health | Dr. Shannon Dowler, Chief Medical Officer, North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services | Sam Thompson, Deputy Director - Program Evaluation, North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services

The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020 catalyzed a dramatic rise in telehealth adoption and use in the United States. In response, North Carolina rapidly evolved its telehealth coverage and reimbursement policies and subsequently evaluated the impact on equitable access to care. The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NC DHHS) found that telehealth use in Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program  varied by race and ethnicity between early March 2020 and the end of 2022. In particular, the agency identified persistent inequities in telehealth offer rates and utilization for Black and Hispanic members.

In new issue brief written in collaboration with the Milbank Memorial Fund and NC DHHS’ Dr. Shannon Dowler and Sam Thompson, Manatt Health’s Jared Augenstein, Jacqueline Marks Smith and Michelle Savuto describe the state’s key findings related to equitable delivery of telehealth services during the COVID-19 pandemic and offer strategies for improvement.

To read the full article, view here.