The telemedicine industry has been rapidly expanding during the COVID-19 pandemic and is set to reach $20bn by 2024, according to GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company. The industry has benefited from the rapid integration of telemedicine services, which has been widely accepted by consumers, providers and telecommunications vendors. However, amid the 2020 US election, telemedicine services for mental health could face obstacles due to the policies proposed by the Republican party.

Kamilla Kan, Medical Device Analyst at GlobalData, comments: “While the pandemic has created numerous delays in the delivery of existing mental health services due to lockdown measures, it has accelerated adoption and created an unprecedented demand for telemedicine and remote patient monitoring services. There has been a rapid increase in the number of people using mobile apps and websites that provide telemedicine services, including mental health platforms.”

However, policies proposed by President Trump will be focused on improving mental health provisions outside of the already existing structures of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) by decreasing total funding for Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and Medicaid, as well as reducing the insurance coverage for mental health services. This would have an immediate impact not only on telemedicine services, but on the drug testing and drug screening market as well.”