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A patient with a dangerous bleeding disorder, along with an out-of-state specialist who treats the ailment, recently sued California in federal court over a state law that forbids doctors not licensed in the state from providing telehealth services to Californians. Telehealth, or the remote provision of medical services, is a popular way for people to access medical care. The new federal civil rights lawsuit challenges California’s telehealth law on constitutional grounds.

It makes several claims, including that the state statute violates the Dormant Commerce Clause in the U.S. Constitution, which provides that states may not enact laws that discriminate against or unduly burden interstate commerce.



The lawsuit also alleges the state law hurts patients. “Limiting access to medical specialists benefits no one,” said Caleb Trotter, an attorney at the Pacific Legal Foundation, a public interest law firm that represents the patient. “There is no excuse for Californians—or anyone—to suffer simply because a member of their care team is in another state.

” Ms. Horowitz resides in a small town in northern coastal California, where there are no medical specialists nearby to treat her. According to the complaint, she has been using the services of a hemophilia specialist in Portland, Oregon, which requires a 14-hour round-trip drive from her home.

If she is forced to travel to Oregon every time she needs to consult with her specialist, she would have to decide between disr.

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