Seniors should be able to see their doctor from home when getting to the clinic is the hardest part of getting care. Medicare lets them do that today, but only for a while longer.
Under current law, people on Medicare can get covered telehealth visits from anywhere in the country, including their own homes, through December 31, 2027. Starting January 1, 2028, most patients will again need to be in a medical facility in a rural area for a telehealth visit to be covered, unless the visit is for behavioral or mental health care. Audio-only visits at home for physical health care end then too. That is what Medicare's own telehealth guidance says.
Those rules would cut off patients in cities and suburbs who can't drive, people recovering at home from surgery, and adult children trying to join a parent's appointment from work. Doctors and clinics also can't plan their staff or invest in telehealth when the coverage rules expire every year or two.
Congress has extended these flexibilities over and over since the pandemic. Families shouldn't have to watch another countdown.
Please make Medicare's telehealth coverage permanent, so seniors can keep seeing their doctors from home after 2027.
