Senior citizens are rattled by news that Medicare telehealth coverage could expire next month
Advocates say the coverage has bipartisan support, but efforts to make it permanent have been unsuccessful.
For Kaye Peterson, 67, the expansion of Medicare telehealth coverage during Covid-19 was a godsend.
Peterson, who has Type 1 diabetes and lives in an assisted living facility, no longer drives, so she depends on extended family when she needs in-person appointments with specialists who are roughly an hour away from her home in Lebanon, Kentucky. But for routine primary care, she simply uses her iPhone.
Soon that may no longer be possible. On March 31, Medicare telehealth “flexibilities” established during the Covid-19 pandemic are set to expire. Recent social media posts, including the one that alerted Peterson to the change, have prompted an outcry from beneficiaries and their families who rely on the service.
“I’m in a care facility full of people in wheelchairs and on oxygen,” Peterson said. “It’s just a commonsense rule that needs to be extended.”
Health advocates say the telemedicine options now at risk are particularly important for older adults who are homebound or, like Peterson, live in rural communities far from their doctors’ offices.
The current flexibilities were enacted when Congress waived restrictions in March 2020 under President Donald Trump and were extended several times under President Joe Biden.
If Congress doesn’t act, on April 1, the previous rules will largely be restored, which means most telehealth appointments will be covered only if they’re provided in person at rural medical facilities.
There will be exceptions for certain services, such as mental health care and some visits for home dialysis treatments.
A lapse could have ramifications for millions of Medicare beneficiaries. Roughly 13% of the nearly 22 million people with traditional coverage received a telehealth service from October to December 2023.
Dr. Cecil Bennett, a family medicine physician in Newnan, Georgia, outside Atlanta, estimates that half of his clinic’s patients are on Medicare. Some already have telehealth appointments scheduled months out. He often uses telehealth to deliver simple information, like lab results, and fears that some patients may miss necessary appointments if they require in-person visits, allowing conditions to worsen.
There will be exceptions for certain services, such as mental health care and some visits for home dialysis treatments.
A lapse could have ramifications for millions of Medicare beneficiaries. Roughly 13% of the nearly 22 million people with traditional coverage received a telehealth service from October to December 2023.
Dr. Cecil Bennett, a family medicine physician in Newnan, Georgia, outside Atlanta, estimates that half of his clinic’s patients are on Medicare. Some already have telehealth appointments scheduled months out. He often uses telehealth to deliver simple information, like lab results, and fears that some patients may miss necessary appointments if they require in-person visits, allowing conditions to worsen.
In a statement to NBC News, Sen. Lisa Blunt Rochester, D-Del., who co-introduced a bipartisan bill to solidify the provisions when she was in the House, described the flexibilities as “vital” — “especially for those in underserved and rural communities and those with accessibility or transportation barriers” — and said she is still fighting for permanent protections.
Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., whose viral social media posts brought attention to the looming deadline, said he plans to introduce similar legislation.
“What is the rationale for this other than making life more difficult for many seniors?” Khanna said on X.
With the fate of telehealth still uncertain, Bennett is waiting to see whether the appointments he has booked can proceed.
“I really hope that Congress acts quickly,” he said. “I know that they kick the can down the road — I’m fine with that as long as they keep kicking the can.”
Filed under: General Problems | 1 Comment »
