Trump administration, Congress are working out details on telehealth flexibilities extension: ATA

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Federal lawmakers likely will extend flexibilities in rules governing telehealth reimbursement for Medicare, according to an advocacy group that supports the practice.

ATA Action, the advocacy organization of the American Telemedicine Association (ATA), said there are rumors that legislators and regulators will not extend the telehealth flexibilities past the March 31, 2025, deadline. But those rumors are just that, said ATA Action Executive Director Kyle Zebley. He also is ATA senior vice president for public policy.

ATA Action published a statement on Feb. 21 addressing the deadline about five weeks out. Congress and the administration of President Donald J. Trump are actively working to extend the flexibilities that first were granted during the COVID-19 pandemic and that continued in the administration of President Joe Biden.

“Telehealth is a bipartisan success story, delivering affordable, safe, and effective care to millions of Medicare beneficiaries,” Zebley said in the statement. “In 2020, the Trump administration acted swiftly to expand telehealth access, a move that has since enjoyed broad support across Congress and the Biden administration. Telehealth must always remain a bipartisan issue.

Kyle Zebley
_{© American Telemedicine Association}

“We commend both administrations and Congress for their leadership and urge them to make telehealth flexibilities permanent or extend them for as long as possible,” Zebley said. “Medicare beneficiaries deserve access to care that is convenient, effective, and uninterrupted.

“Patients, providers, and policymakers across the aisle recognize its value, and ATA Action remains committed to preserving and strengthening this support,” he said. “We stand ready to work with all lawmakers and the administration to keep telehealth accessible and ensure it remains a cornerstone of modern healthcare. We cannot afford to let access to telehealth expire on April 1.”

Effects across health care

If the telemedicine flexibilities are not extended, there could be ramifications across U.S. health care, according to the National Consortium of Telehealth Resource Centers (NCTRC). On Feb. 18, the organization published “The Telehealth Policy Cliff: Preparing for April 1, 2025,” an online report outlining the potential changes.

“April 1, 2025, might feel like an April Fool’s joke — but for healthcare providers and patients who rely on Medicare telehealth services, it could be anything but,” the NCTRC analysis said.

In short, if the rule flexibilities expire, it will bring back requirements for physical and geographic locations, and for telehealth modalities. Medicare would revert back to the pre-pandemic rules that physicians and patients would need to use two-say, interactive, audio-video technology to deliver Medicare telehealth services, said the analysis and an accompanying report by the Center for Connected Health Policy.

What they’re saying — or not

It did not immediately appear that telemedicine coverage rules specifically were in the some of government leaders’ public deliberations happening on Feb. 21.

The American Hospital Association (AHA) published an update on the Senate passing its $340 billion budget resolution in a 52-48 vote. That bill focused on the nation’s borders, military and energy policy; the version that AHA posted online did not mention telehealth. The House of Representatives is expected to have its own budget resolution next week, calling for $2 trillion in spending cuts that could affect Medicaid and other health programs, the AHA update said.

The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services still had published online its “Telehealth FAQ Calendar Year 2025,” with details presented in a question-and-answer format.

The White House and HHS

The White House published “ICYMI: Departments Tout Results After President Trump’s Historic First Month,” a recap of the various executive orders and departmental actions.

“The Department of Health and Human Services celebrated their needed departure from the previous administration’s obsession with radical, dangerous gender ideology — and returning to common sense as they empower Americans to make healthy choices that work for their families,” the White House post said.

It included a post from X, formerly Twitter, about the Feb. 20 announcement that HHS’ Civil Rights Office “takes action to support President Trump’s executive orders to protect minors and restore biological truth.”

“This administration is bringing back common sense and restoring biological truth to the federal government,” HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. said in that announcement. “The prior administration’s policy of trying to engineer gender ideology into every aspect of public life is over.”