WASHINGTON—ATA Action, the advocacy arm of the American Telemedicine Association, released a co-led letter to Congressional leadership signed by more than 350 stakeholder organizations, urging both the House and Senate to act swiftly to make Medicare telehealth flexibilities permanent, or to approve the longest possible extension.
The Full-Year Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act of 2025, allows audio-only telehealth and some in-home telehealth to be covered for Medicare patients through Sept. 30, 2025. Telehealth "shutdowns" have been averted in the past six months with the passing of the extensions act, but now organizations are urging Congress to make the extensions permanent before the deadline date. ATA Action is also urging Congress to couple the Acute Hospital Care at Home Program within whatever legislative vehicle advances, alongside the Medicare telehealth flexibilities.
"We have only ... days to avert a telehealth shutdown on Oct. 1, and we’re relying on continued bipartisan, bicameral support to win the day," said Kyle Zebley, executive director of ATA Action and senior vice president of public policy for the organization. "For the past five years, telehealth has been a lifeline to Medicare beneficiaries across the country, allowing patients to access essential health care services. We are calling on our telehealth policy champions in Congress to eliminate outdated barriers to care and give patients and clinicians assurance that virtual care services will remain available, uninterrupted. President Trump wisely cleared the path for telehealth at the outset of the pandemic as a way to eliminate barriers to accessing needed in-person care, and on a bipartisan basis, Congress has maintained this critical access ever since.
“For Medicare beneficiaries and patients requiring hospital-level care beyond traditional inpatient settings via remote monitoring and necessary interventions, access to telehealth services is a lifeline,” said Zebley. “At a minimum, a two-year extension is needed to ensure stability and provide clarity for patients, providers and the health care system as a whole. We are grateful that the final reconciliation package passed in July made access to telehealth services permanent in the commercial market and urge Congress to do the same for Medicare beneficiaries."
Read the stakeholder letter sent to Senate Majority Leader John Thune, Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, Speaker Mike Johnson and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries here.