Following years of unanswered calls, lawmakers finally delivered much-needed reform to the state’s telemedicine laws in the waning days of Missouri’s 2025 legislative session.
Senate Bill (SB) 79 will (if Governor Kehoe signs it), among other things, expand the definition of “telehealth” or telemedicine to include audio-only and audiovisual services. On its face, SB 79 may not seem like the biggest or most impactful change, but it addresses a major problem with Missouri’s telemedicine laws that has been needlessly restricting access to care for years.
A few months ago, I wrote about several ways in which healthcare access for Missouri residents could be improved, and abandoning the requirement for video in cases where it isn’t medically necessary was one of the policies I highlighted. There are still large parts of Missouri without reliable broadband internet access, and not everyone has a phone or computer capable of transmitting video. Further, not every medical treatment requires a visual examination (for example, mental health services). Given our state’s well-documented shortage of healthcare providers, any effort to improve healthcare access without sacrificing safety or quality of care is welcome.
It’s easy to forget that back during the COVID-19 pandemic, Missouri ranked among the national leaders in telemedicine access. Various laws and regulations were waived for emergency response purposes, allowing patients to access their providers virtually with more ease than ever before. In turn, telemedicine grew tremendously in both functionality and popularity, among patients and providers alike—until the emergency ended and many of the unnecessary regulatory burdens telemedicine previously faced were allowed to return.
After several years of telemedicine reform nearly reaching but failing to cross the finish line, SB 79’s passage feels like a long time coming. As states across the country continue improving their licensing laws to expand healthcare supply and account for changing technology, Missouri could no longer afford to keep reform on hold. And while the bill doesn’t address all of the areas in which I think Missouri’s telemedicine laws could be improved, it does represent a small, important step in the right direction.
Going into next year, there is still plenty of work to be done to improve Missourian’s access to care. Hopefully, SB 79 is a signal that our lawmakers are dialing up more expansive healthcare reforms for 2026.
