Congress Must Act Urgently To Protect the Telehealth Flexibilities Patients & Providers Rely On

In less than 50 days, the Medicare telehealth flexibilities that millions of patients rely on will expire if Congress does not act urgently to protect them. To avoid a telehealth cliff, lawmakers must act now. 

Originally instated during the COVID-19 pandemic and extended again in 2022, Medicare telehealth flexibilities have become a lifeline for millions of patients over the past four years. Recent data from the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) found that nearly 3 million Medicare beneficiaries utilized telehealth in the first quarter of 2024 alone, with a steady increase in utilization occurring since the second quarter of 2023, underscoring continued reliance on virtual care. 

Telehealth services treat some of the country’s most underserved and at-risk patients. Without an extension or permanent protections, these patients currently stare at the end of the road for their preferred treatment. These patients require greater attention to their health, and telehealth revolutionizes their options by providing expanded access to treatment and specialists. This is especially crucial for the millions of Americans with chronic conditions such as Arthritis or Epilepsy, that can make traveling a painful and even dangerous task. Without urgent action, patients would no longer be able to receive the quality care they’ve spent years relying upon and face considerable and unnecessary hurdles in getting the treatment they need.

The urgency to sustain telemedicine flexibilities extends to physicians nationwide. As Holly Yang, former president of the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine, told The Hill, “We forget how significant [the flexibilities of the pandemic] are… It was very, very restrictive on who could get telehealth prior to the pandemic.” Yang later noted how telehealth allows easier access to visits for both patients and providers and how it is a meaningful way to provide healthcare. 

Lawmakers from both sides of the aisle have consistently shown support for this extension and the use of telehealth in modern healthcare. A group of five U.S. Senators from both parties recently sent a letter to Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell advocating for the permanent protection of Medicare telehealth flexibilities, and another group of 11 U.S. Senators wrote to the White House and DEA urging the government agencies to prioritize protecting the COVID-era regulatory flexibilities ahead of the end of year expiration. These two letters along with the recent advancement of telehealth legislation by the U.S. House Energy & Commerce and Ways & Means Committees to extend telehealth flexibilities for another two years are a testament to the overwhelming bipartisan support for telehealth, but Congress must take it across the finish line to avert a telehealth cliff for millions of Americans.

The urgency to protect telehealth access is now as crucial as ever and Congress must act now to ensure the millions of Americans relying on these services continue to receive the care they need. 

Learn more about how Congress can act to protect telehealth HERE.