Commercial health insurers are now required by law to provide coverage for the same in-person services via telemedicine as long as the required standard of care is met.

Gov. Josh Shapiro, accompanied by prime sponsor Sen. Elder Vogel, R-47th, and bipartisan leaders, signed SB 739 into law Wednesday, July 3.

Proponents say the law will help expand health care into rural communities with rural hospitals in the state at risk of closing or reducing services.

According to the Center for Rural Pennsylvania, which held a public hearing last year on rural hospital and health care sustainability, 28% of rural hospitals in the state are at risk of closing.

“More and more Pennsylvanians are relying on telemedicine to see their doctors and this bill requires insurers to cover services delivered via telemedicine the same way they cover traditional in-person services,” Shapiro said in a news release.

The bill also sets telehealth accessibility standards for Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program.

“This is a remarkable milestone for Pennsylvania that has been a decade in the making,” Vogel said. “This law lays the framework for telemedicine access in our commonwealth — an avenue of health care our residents will now be able to explore and utilize for their benefit. I appreciate the support of my colleagues, Gov. Josh Shapiro, our health care providers, and other critical stakeholders who helped make this law a reality.”