Telehealth advocates turn up the pressure as Medicare deadline nears
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Providers, patients and digital health companies are ramping up their calls for more certainty that Medicare will continue to reimburse them for telehealth appointments after the current authority to do so expires on April 1.
Why it matters: Telehealth usage among seniors has declined since the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic, but more than 1 in 10 traditional Medicare beneficiaries still used virtual care services in 2023, per KFF. Telehealth can connect patients to medical specialists in other parts of the country, cut down on travel time to appointments and foster independence.
- Telehealth has bipartisan support. It's popular with patients and providers, and studies show that it's just as effective as an in-person appointment for many services.
- But making the current policies permanent could cost the federal government billions of dollars as Republican leadership looks for places to save money.
The big picture: The American Telemedicine Association said last week that policymakers are actively working on a telehealth extension plan after confusion and misinformation spread on social media that the Trump administration did not want Medicare telehealth policies continued.
- But a government shutdown is still possible if Congress can't pass a spending bill before federal funding runs out on March 14, and that could imperil continued telehealth access.
Driving the news: A coalition of nearly 350 organizations, ranging from patient advocacy groups to large corporations, including Amazon, sent a letter to Congressional leadership on Monday, urging them to make expanded Medicare telehealth access permanent or at least available for the long term.
- Telehealth services are a "lifeline" for patients in remote areas, those with weakened immune systems, or people without reliable access to transportation, the letter says.
- "Both patients and practitioners seek assurance that services will remain available," it reads.
Catch up quick Policies originally put in place during the pandemic expanded the circumstances in which Medicare could cover telehealth at the same payment rate as in-person services.
- Congress has extended the telehealth flexibilities several times and has made Medicare coverage of tele-behavioral health permanent.
- Most recently, Congress in December extended telehealth coverage for three months after now-President Trump and Elon Musk sunk an end-of-year legislative package that would have continued the policies for two years.
Zoom in: Brooke Pratt, CEO of obesity medicine company Knownwell, said she's optimistic that lawmakers will come to a long-term solution on Medicare telehealth coverage this time.
- "I get the sense that like whatever [lawmakers are] circling in on here is going to be a more permanent answer," she said. About 15% of Knownwell's patients have Medicare, according to Pratt.
- Still, Pratt is anxiously waiting to see what's next. "We've had a bunch of emergency executive team calls about this," she said.
- Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) announced Tuesday that he's introducing a bill to permanently have Medicare pay for telehealth.
