In 2020, mental health providers sprang into action to meet the needs of Iowans by implementing telehealth, seemingly overnight. This mode of treatment has been greatly beneficial for Iowa - a rural state, with a shortage of mental health care. Beyond pandemic related issues, telehealth assists Iowans to obtain the treatment they need when there are no providers in close proximity, when there is fear of stigma, transportation issues, or loss of time from school or work. NAMI of Iowa cites, "Iowa has consistently been ranked as one of the worst states for mental health care," yet a bill, HF 294, that would require Iowa regulated insurance companies to reimburse providers the same rate for telehealth as in-office visits is not expected to pass the Senate, due to not wanting to impose mandates on the insurance industry. Reducing reimbursement will force many mental health providers to limit this mode of treatment and others to abandon the service all together. Some insurance companies are planning to place even more demands and requirements on already overwhelmed providers, for a portion of the pay, seemingly to save themselves money. Why would our state want to create more barriers to mental health care when we are already struggling? Most often, providing telehealth services does not cost mental health providers less, it costs us more, so why should we be reimbursed less? Further, most data suggests that telehealth is effective. In fact, as described by David Mohr, PhD, director of the Center for Behavioral Intervention Technologies at Northwestern University, “What we’ve seen is that telehealth is essentially just as effective as face-to-face psychotherapy—and retention rates are higher." Although telehealth is not suitable for all, it has proven to be a valuable resource for Iowans.