Distance health services under the general agreement on trade in services

This Article discusses the state of distance health with respect to the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS). After examining the various aspects of telemedicine and its place in international trade, the author looks at the structure and functioning of GATS and how telemedicine is regulated under this agreement. The author argues that the potential for telemedicine under this agreement has yet to be fulfilled and suggests a number of ways to realize its potential. Ultimately, however, the author concludes that the single most important international trade objective for the United States healthcare industry should be to get its own house in order with respect to cross-border provision of health services. From an international trade perspective, the problem of non-uniform state licensure requirements within the United States makes it very difficult for the United States to negotiate market access commitments for distance health services with other countries. Therefore, it is not realistic to expect significant progress in the liberalization of distance health services until the United States has in place a reasonably uniform domestic system of licensure and regulation for telemedicine practitioners.