CTeL-
We have an important update on the future of telehealth. Congress has included an extension of key telehealth flexibilities in the recently passed Continuing Resolution (CR)—a critical win for patients, providers, and the healthcare industry. However, this extension only lasts until September 30, 2025, leaving the future of telehealth uncertain.
What This Means for You
- Medicare patients can continue receiving telehealth services for non-behavioral/mental health care in their homes.
- No geographic restrictions remain for Medicare telehealth services.
- All eligible Medicare providers can continue offering telehealth services.
- In-person visit requirements for behavioral/mental health telehealth remain suspended.
While this extension prevents immediate disruption, temporary policies create uncertainty for providers, patients, and healthcare innovators. Without a permanent solution, investment in digital health technologies remains at risk, and millions of patients could face reduced access to care this fall.
Why Permanent Action is Critical
- 44% of Medicare beneficiaries used telehealth in 2020, up from just 1% in 2019 (Bipartisan Policy Center, 2022).
- Telehealth saves money—Medicare spends $82 less per patient for telehealth vs. in-person visits (University of Michigan, 2023).
- Without action, 67 million Medicare recipients could face "chaos" in accessing care (MarketWatch, 2024).
How You Can Take Action
To ensure telehealth remains a permanent option, we need your voice in advocating for legislative action this fall. Here’s what you can do:
- Contact Your Representatives – Let them know that telehealth is essential for patient care and cost savings. Find Your Legislator
- Share Your Telehealth Story – Tell us how telehealth has impacted your practice or patients. Real-world stories help drive policy, send them to us at info@ctel.org.
- Spread Awareness – Share our latest updates on LinkedIn, Twitter, and with your networks using #CTeLSavesTelehealth
- Support Research - CTeL is actively collecting support to fund research to build upon our previous cost-impact study which encouraged the initial flexibilities during the PHE. Ready to pledge your support? Reach out to us at ChristaNatoli@ctel.org.
CTeL will continue to advocate for permanent telehealth legislation and provide updates as Congress revisits this issue in the fall. Our collective support is critical to making this happen!
Thank you for being a champion for telehealth. If you have any questions or would like to get involved further, please reach out at [contact@ctel.org].