Wilderness Health reports on students from the University of Minnesota who presented work on the future of Telehealth and of Mental and Behavioral Health to the Telehealth Committee of Wilderness Health on May 28, 2024. They looked at both Minnesota and Wisconsin, where they found similarities and differences.

Some key findings:

• Where Minnesota’s Medicaid expansion has vastly increased access to mental and behavioral healthcare, Wisconsin, in refusing that package, has struggled to find everyone the help that they need.  Minnesota’s increased access has not been matched by an increase in providers, though – the waits remain long, and so remain a barrier.
• Similarly, Wisconsin participates in a number of interstate compacts that widens who can deliver care via telehealth.  Minnesota licensure boards across different types of care providers have been more cautious in regulating who can deliver care via telehealth, restricting care to Minnesota residents by out-of-state caregivers – creating waits, again.  Wisconsin does have significant gaps in reimbursement as compared to Minnesota, which then results in fewer providers willing to accept Medicaid patients.

Telehealth is essential healthcare. They found some policy issues that serve as a barrier to access and offered some recommendations:

• Students also explored the need to support residents of both Minnesota and Wisconsin across the “digital divide.” Lower-cost access to high-speed internet, training on devices and software, and help with assistive technology for those with disabilities are key to ensuring everyone can benefit from telehealth.
• The conversation with the Telehealth Committee also brought up reimbursement issues. Payment parity (or equivalent payment) for audio-only visits is also especially important to ensure those who cannot navigate video visits can still receive care. Also in both states, patients and providers are served better when mental and behavioral health is reimbursed at rates that meet the costs to provide the care.

They also created a series of policy briefs:

• Telehealth Triumph and Policy Imperatives
• Driving Transformation in Mental and Behavioral Health Care Through Policy