Telehealth is popular because it’s convenient and often the best option for people living in “transit deserts” – rural and even urban areas without public or private transportation options, or places that have become healthcare deserts. It also helps caregivers and those with full-time jobs where taking off a day of work for an appointment is problematic.
However, for millions of disabled Americans, telehealth is not just a convenience – they rely on these services for doctors appointments, prescriptions, and other medical needs. Some patients do not have specialists for their disease located in their area, and for many patients, leaving home at all can be too risky to contemplate.
Lawmakers from both sides have called on the DEA to issue a two-year extension of the telemedicine benefits first put in place in 2020, and some have proposed legislation making the changes permanent. Although these bills are related to Medicare, they will affect telehealth access through private insurance indirectly, as private plans tend to follow Medicare when setting coverage.
Call your legislators in both chambers to act quickly on these bills and tell your friends and relatives in RED states to do so too! This BIPARTISAN issue may get swept away by the unelected robber-bros in DOGE.
Action #1 – Contact your representative – you have (1)! Yes, you can email on the weekend!
Minimal CALL script to your representative: I’m calling from [zip code] because I just found out that Medicare coverage for telehealth is set to expire at the end of the year unless Congress acts. Telehealth is really important to [PICK ONE: patients like me, my family, my mother, disabled people, workers, caretakers, etc.], and I’m calling to urge the (Senator/Congress(wo)man) to do everything possible to extend coverage. Thanks.
Minimal EMAIL script to your representative: I just found out that Medicare coverage for telehealth is set to expire at the end of the year unless Congress acts. Telehealth is really important to [PICK ONE: patients like me, my family, my mother, disabled people, workers, caretakers, etc. – ADD PERSONAL STORY IF YOU CAN!], and I’m calling to urge the (Senator/Congress(wo)man) to do everything possible to extend coverage [ you can add here, “including H.R. 8261 if its 2026 expiration date is removed, H.R. 7623, and H.R.4189.]
Contacts:
Action #2 – Call/email your senators (you have 2!) Yes, you can email on the weekend!
Minimal CALL script to your senators: I’m calling from [zip code] because I just found out that Medicare coverage for telehealth is set to expire at the end of the year unless Congress acts. Telehealth is really important to [PICK ONE: patients like me, my family, my mother, disabled people, workers, caretakers, etc.], and I’m calling to urge the (Senator/Congress(wo)man) to do everything possible to extend coverage. Thanks.
Minimal EMAIL script to your representative: I just found out that Medicare coverage for telehealth is set to expire at the end of the year unless Congress acts. Telehealth is really important to [PICK ONE: patients like me, my family, my mother, disabled people, workers, caretakers, etc. – ADD PERSONAL STORY IF YOU CAN!], and I’m calling to urge the (Senator/Congress(wo)man) to do everything possible to extend coverage [ you can add here, “including bill S.2016 – Connect for Health Act of 2023]
Contacts
Deeper Dive
A group of bipartisan lawmakers have called on the DEA to issue a two-year extension of telemedicine benefits, first put in place in 2020. These bills are related to Medicare but are expected to affect telehealth access through private insurance indirectly, as private plans tend to follow Medicare when setting coverage. Note: The robber bros behind the DOGE have targeted Medicare and Medicaid for trillions of dollars in cuts. Nothing costs less than just not providing accessible services and having Americans go without or depend on last-chance charities like RAM.
These are the bills Congress needs to pass the following four bills as well as provide an emergency extension (Note that these bills have been authored by members of BOTH parties):
- H.R. 8261 – Preserving Telehealth, Hospital, and Ambulance Access Act (Rep. Schweikert, David [R-AZ-1])
- This bills isn’t the best, as it only extends telehealth services to 2026, like they will suddenly not be needed after the next election…
- H.R. 7623 – Telehealth Modernization Act of 2024 (Rep. Carter, Earl L. “Buddy” [R-GA-1])
- Summary from congress.gov:
- This bill modifies requirements relating to coverage of telehealth services under Medicare.
- Specifically, the bill permanently extends certain flexibilities that were initially authorized during the public health emergency relating to COVID-19. Among other things, the bill allows (1) rural health clinics and federally qualified health centers to serve as the distant site (i.e., the location of the health care practitioner); (2) the home of a beneficiary to serve as the originating site (i.e., the location of the beneficiary) for all services (rather than for only certain services); and (3) all types of practitioners to furnish telehealth services, as determined by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
- Summary from congress.gov:
- H.R.4189 – Connect for Health Act of 2023 (Rep. Thompson, Mike [D-CA-4])
- Summary from congress.gov:
- This bill expands coverage of telehealth services under Medicare.
- Among other provisions, the bill
- permanently removes geographic restrictions on originating sites (i.e., the location of the beneficiary) and allows the home of the beneficiary to serve as the originating site for all services;
- permanently allows federally qualified health centers and rural health clinics to serve as the distant site (i.e., the location of the health care practitioner); and
- allows the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to generally waive coverage restrictions during any public health emergency.
- Additionally, the CMS must post certain information about the effects of Medicare telehealth services on its website, including information about utilization, costs, and the outcome of services. The CMS must also (1) provide resources to health care professionals about the requirements for furnishing telehealth services under Medicare, including with respect to payment, patient privacy, and support for underserved populations; and (2) ensure certain quality measures are applied to telehealth services.
- Summary from congress.gov:
- S.2016 – Connect for Health Act of 2023 (Sen. Schatz, Brian [D-HI])
- Summary from congress.gov:
- This bill expands coverage of telehealth services under Medicare and is IDENTICAL to the House version – H.R. Connect for Health Act of 2023.
- Among other provisions, the bill
- permanently removes geographic restrictions on originating sites (i.e., the location of the beneficiary) and allows the home of the beneficiary to serve as the originating site for all services;
- permanently allows federally qualified health centers and rural health clinics to serve as the distant site (i.e., the location of the health care practitioner); and
- allows the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to generally waive coverage restrictions during any public health emergency.
- Additionally, the CMS must post certain information about the effects of Medicare telehealth services on its website, including information about utilization, costs, and the outcome of services. The CMS must also (1) provide resources to health care professionals about the requirements for furnishing telehealth services under Medicare, including with respect to payment, patient privacy, and support for underserved populations; and (2) ensure certain quality measures are applied to telehealth services.
You read that right. You can read more about it in Forbes or Mother Jones – but the long and the short of it is unless Congress acts, Medicare will no longer cover most telehealth beginning in 2025. This impacts all of us whether we’re covered by Medicare or not because private insurers often follow what Medicare does.
INDIVISIBLE VENTURA 