A new survey shows sustained enthusiasm for telehealth, but questions remain on how long this excitement will last.
The survey was conducted by the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago, a nonpartisan research organization, and commissioned by America’s Health Insurance Plans, a trade group that represents health insurance companies. It found that 40% of commercially insured members used telehealth. Of those telehealth users, 60% of respondents were satisfied with the care they received via telehealth.
Nearly 70% of commercially insured telehealth users in the past year said they used telehealth because it is more convenient than an in-person appointment. Approximately 78% of telehealth users said that it made it easier for them to seek care.
“The data showed that many commercially insured individuals are still using telehealth in a significant way,” said Mairin Mancino, a senior director in NORC’s Health Care Strategy group. “I think that many of them are using it because of how convenient it is—you see that reflected elsewhere.”
Nearly 90% of respondents opted for telehealth appointments fewer than five times per year. Still, Mancino said that utilization is rather sustainable.
“Both health insurers and providers have figured out how to do telehealth and there’s a sustained interest in it,” said Mancino, adding future research would be needed to fully understand whether telehealth was replacing or supplementing in-person visits.
Nearly half of the respondents of the AHIP survey said inaccessibility of in-person appointments was their main reason for using telehealth. Nearly a quarter said it would save them money.
The study also shed light on disparities between men and women. NORC researchers found women were more likely to use telehealth and four times more likely than men to report using it due to a lack of child or elder care options.
“It did not surprise me. I was thrilled to see it show up in the data,” Mancino said. “We know caregiving falls more directly on women.”
But other research indicates that telehealth usage has fallen off since the early days of the pandemic. Trilliant Health, a healthcare data company, found nearly 80% of Americans solely pursued in-person care in 2021.
“The data is just suggesting that people need to be in the office with their provider to really come to the best clinical decision,” said Alli Oakes, director of research at Trilliant Health. She anticipates utilization will continue to fall.
