Health Groups Urge Congress for Permanent Telehealth Flexibilities
Table of Contents
| January 23, 2024
Medicare telehealth flexibilities, initially implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic, are once again facing a potential expiration, sparking urgent calls for congressional action. The American Medical Association (AMA) pressed lawmakers on Monday to make these pandemic-era telehealth policies permanent, arguing that repeated short-term extensions create instability and hinder access to care.
Telehealth’s Uncertain Future
Provider groups are pushing Congress to solidify virtual care access as key policies hang in the balance.
- Provider and telehealth groups are actively lobbying Congress for a resolution.
- The current flexibilities are set to expire on January 30.
- A previous lapse in these policies led to a significant drop in telehealth visits.
- The AMA emphasizes the importance of telehealth for rural and underserved communities.
These flexibilities dramatically altered Medicare telehealth reimbursement, expanding coverage beyond its previous limitations for rural residents and specific facility types. While some changes have been made permanent, many remain temporary, subject to congressional renewal. This ongoing uncertainty has created significant challenges for healthcare providers over the past year,with extensions often arriving close to the deadline and lasting only a few months.
The policies where first enacted during the COVID-19 pandemic to maintain access to care while minimizing in-person contact. However, a recent impasse over a spending plan last fall caused the flexibilities to lapse for several weeks during the government shutdown. Legislation passed in November only extended the policies through January 30.
The temporary lapse last year demonstrably reduced access to care. An analysis by researchers at Brown University revealed a 24% decrease in fee-for-service telehealth visits nationally during the first 17 days of the shutdown compared to the period from July through late September.
“Since the COVID-19 public health emergency, Congress has repeatedly extended telehealth flexibilities for Medicare patients-often at the last moment-creating uncertainty for millions of patients and thier physicians,” said AMA President Dr. Bobby Mukkamala. “As the current waiver deadline approaches, Congress must finally act decisively to prevent a disruptive and abrupt halt to the expanded telehealth services that have improved care continuity, chronic disease management, and access for rural and underserved communities.”
Controlled Substance Prescriptions Also at Stake
The looming deadline for telehealth comes on the heels of another pandemic-era policy extension. Last week, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) extended flexibilities allowing providers to prescribe certain controlled substances via telehealth without an initial in-person appointment, just one day before those changes were scheduled to expire.
alexis Apple, vice president of federal affairs at the American Telemedicine Association, stated on Tuesday, “We are counting on our government champions to find a permanent solution or at least to establish a long-term extension for these telehealth waivers.”
