Rep. Robin Kelly (D-IL) reintroduced a bill Wednesday (July 28) that would direct HHS to study telehealth’s impact on Medicare and Medicaid during the COVID-19 public health emergency and eventually submit a report to Congress. One telehealth advocate says this bill would be a positive step forward — so long as it’s paired with an […]

A group of lawmakers and the White House struck a $550 billion deal to revitalize the nation’s transportation and utility infrastructure after weeks of negotiations, meeting a key goal of President Joe Biden: a large, bipartisan bill. The Senate plans to vote to begin consideration of the legislation, which has yet to be completed, as soon […]

Telemedicine didn’t just provide a pandemic lifeline for patients and their doctors. It’s linking rural hospitals with offsite clinicians who consult on patient care and back up on-site doctors and nurses as Covid’s latest surge fills beds once again. With the highly transmissible Delta variant of Covid-19 now overtaking areas with low vaccination rates, demand […]

More than 400 organizations, mostly health care providers and technology companies, pushed for COVID-19 telehealth flexibilities to be made permanent in a letter sent to congressional leadership Monday (July 26). Telehealth has exploded since the onset of the COVID-19 public health emergency, thanks in part to temporary flexibilities from CMS that allow providers to be […]

Hundreds of health and technology groups urge Congress to extend telehealth flexibility for Medicare beneficiaries past the end of the Covid-19 pandemic. Last year’s CARES Act let the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services temporarily waive certain restrictions on how providers can deliver remote care. A Biden administration proposed rule (RIN 0938–AU42) would extend temporary Medicare coverage […]

CMS on Tuesday (July 13) proposed to continue covering certain Medicare telehealth services through the end of 2023 as part of the 2022 physician fee schedule and laid out plans for expanded coverage of telehealth for mental health care, just one day after a bipartisan group of House lawmakers asked HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra to […]

When asked about the prospects for long-term telehealth coverage, I often hear people say that permanent expansion is inevitable because “the genie is out of the bottle” or “Congress never takes benefits away.” The truth is they can, and they will, unless we effectively break down persistent misconceptions about the impact of telehealth policy changes. […]

Congress appears poised to let millions of Medicare recipients continue to video chat with their doctors after the pandemic is over. A set of telemedicine policies the Trump administration adopted during lockdowns is emerging as an unexpected bipartisan rallying point as lawmakers begin to weigh life after Covid-19. The coverage policies are due to lapse […]

Reps. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) and Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.) are introducing legislation today to make it easier for older adults to access telehealth services. The bill, shared first with PULSE, would codify new telehealth flexibilities for Medicare beneficiaries granted during the pandemic. Providers would be allowed to deliver telehealth services to patients in their homes regardless of what part of the country […]