Photo Credit: Darron Cummings/Associated Press

The Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) which was passed by congress in 1991, places restrictions on the practice of telephone solicitations or “telemarketing”. The law was further clarified in July of 2015 to include text message outreach. Claiming that the current law is too vague and thus restrictive, health insurance providers Anthem and Wellcare along with their industry lobbying association (AHIP), are seeking further clarification from the FCC stating that in its current form, the law restricts them from providing important health related services to plan members. The providers claim that telephonic outreach for matters regarding vital information such as medication management or doctor visit reminder calls/texts are a critical component of what they can, and would like to provide. With penalties of $500 to $1,500 per violation, providers are not risking it and are, therefore, not contacting plan participants with such information. […]