Telehealth Services Under Medicare Just Got Much Harder To Access. Here's What To Know
During the COVID-19 pandemic, many people turned to telehealth to see their doctors or other medical specialists. To assist older adults who were at higher risk for hospitalization or complications from COVID-19, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) expanded telehealth coverage. Before the pandemic, Medicare generally restricted telehealth to people living in rural areas and required them to travel to a designated clinic or hospital to connect with their doctor. The expansion allowed anyone, regardless of geographic location, to receive telehealth services from home.
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Congress extended these expanded telehealth flexibilities even after the public health emergency ended, but many of them were set to expire on September 30, 2025. Without action from Congress or President Trump, Medicare patients will once again face telehealth restrictions. For most non-mental health services, they must live in a rural area and receive telehealth from an approved facility, not from home.
The major exception is behavioral and mental health care. Medicare patients can permanently receive these services via telehealth at home with no geographic restrictions, and in some cases, audio-only telephone visits are allowed.
Telehealth may still be available, but it may not be covered by Medicare
Telehealth services may be shut down for providers affiliated with the American Telemedicine Association, according to Axios. However, some larger hospitals in metropolitan areas are choosing to continue offering telehealth even without Medicare reimbursement. These hospitals may absorb the costs temporarily, anticipating that Congress could extend the program once the government reopens. If the telehealth expansion is reauthorized, Medicare could resume reimbursement for these services. According to Time, smaller medical facilities may have to reschedule their telehealth offerings for several months.
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Another program that ended on September 30 was the Acute Care at Home initiative, which allowed certain patients to continue hospital-level care in their homes. This program helped hospitals free up beds for patients needing immediate, in-person treatment. In anticipation of the program ending, CMS sent a notice to participating hospitals either to discharge patients or to bring them back for continued inpatient care. Stat News reported that UMass Memorial, New Jersey's Hackensack Meridian Health, and Delaware's ChristianaCare stopped admitting Medicare patients into hospital-at-home programs the weekend before the program's expiration.