Medicare Telehealth: During the COVID-19 pandemic, Medicare telehealth services became a lifeline for many Americans. Now, as some temporary policies are set to expire, people are wondering if Medicare will continue to support telehealth in 2025. While some changes are coming, Congress has taken steps to ensure that virtual healthcare remains accessible at least for now.
What Has Congress Done to Extend Telehealth Services?
To keep telehealth options available, Congress passed the American Relief Act, 2025, which President Joe Biden signed into law. This law extends several Medicare telehealth waivers that were supposed to end in 2024. These extensions will now last until March 31, 2025. Here’s what this means for patients:
- Expanded Access: Patients can keep receiving virtual care for both general and mental health services from home.
- No Geographic Restrictions: Medicare won’t limit telehealth services based on where patients live.
- More Eligible Providers: A wider range of healthcare professionals, like physical therapists, speech-language pathologists, and mental health counselors, can continue offering telehealth services.
- Audio-Only Services: Medicare will still cover phone calls for patients who can’t use video platforms.
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Behavioral and Mental Health Flexibility: The rule requiring an in-person visit within six months of a patient’s first telehealth appointment has been waived until January 1, 2026, for rural health clinics and federally qualified health centers.
What Telehealth Services Will End in 2025?
While many telehealth services have been extended, some will no longer be covered after December 31, 2024. These include:
- Cardiac and Pulmonary Rehabilitation via Telehealth: Remote rehab services for heart and lung conditions will no longer be reimbursed.
- Health Savings Account (HSA) Restrictions: High Deductible Health Plans (HDHPs) can no longer offer first-dollar telehealth coverage without affecting a patient’s HSA eligibility.
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How Has Telehealth Helped Rural and Behavioral Health Care?
Telehealth has been especially important for people in rural areas, where access to healthcare can be limited. Some permanent changes have been made to support these communities:
- Rural Clinics and Health Centers: Facilities like Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) and Rural Health Clinics (RHCs) can now permanently provide behavioral and mental health services through telehealth.
- Mental Health Services from Home: Patients can continue receiving behavioral healthcare remotely, no matter where they live.
- Audio-Only Telehealth for Mental Health: Providers can now permanently offer mental health services using phone calls when video isn’t available.
The extensions for telehealth services will last until March 31, 2025. After that, Congress will need to decide whether to extend these policies further or make new changes to Medicare’s telehealth rules.
For now Medicare beneficiaries who rely on telehealth should stay informed about any updates and talk to their healthcare providers about how these changes might affect their coverage.
