Medicare Telehealth Gets Permanent Upgrade: Bill Locks In COVID-Era Access, Adds Audio-Only & Home Care Options

The Telehealth Coverage Act of 2025 aims to make permanent many of the telehealth flexibilities introduced under Medicare during the COVID-19 public health emergency, significantly expanding how beneficiaries can receive care. Essentially, this bill cements the use of remote healthcare services – think video calls or even phone calls with your doctor – as a standard part of Medicare coverage, retroactive to the start of the pandemic emergency for many provisions. It also sets deadlines for new rules, like specific billing codes by January 1, 2026, and guidance for non-English speakers within a year.

Your Doctor's Visit Goes Digital (Permanently)

The core change here is taking temporary pandemic rules and making them the new normal for Medicare telehealth (Sec. 2). This means a wider range of healthcare providers, including those at Federally Qualified Health Centers and Rural Health Clinics, can continue offering services remotely. Crucially, the bill permanently allows audio-only telehealth – regular phone calls – for many services. For someone living far from a clinic or lacking reliable internet, this ensures they can still connect with a provider without needing video technology. It solidifies the expanded access that began during the public health emergency.

More Than Just a Check-Up: Expanding What Telehealth Covers

This legislation goes beyond basic consultations. It permanently removes the need for in-person visits for several specific Medicare services, including initiating home dialysis for end-stage renal disease, stroke evaluations, substance use disorder treatment, and mental health services (Sec. 2). It also allows telehealth for the face-to-face encounter required before recertifying hospice care, with some exceptions (Sec. 2). Furthermore, the bill makes permanent the 'Acute Hospital Care at Home' waivers, allowing certain hospital-level care to be delivered in a patient's residence (Sec. 4). New additions include covering in-home cardiopulmonary rehabilitation delivered via real-time audio and video (Sec. 6) and allowing providers to participate in the Medicare Diabetes Prevention Program (MDPP) offering only virtual services (Sec. 7). Imagine someone recovering from heart surgery doing guided exercises via video link from their living room, or a pre-diabetic individual joining an online lifestyle change program covered by Medicare.

Making It Work: New Rules and Better Access for All

To manage this expanded telehealth landscape, the bill introduces new administrative requirements. Starting January 1, 2026, specific codes or 'modifiers' must be used on Medicare claims when telehealth involves certain platform arrangements or is used for hospice recertification visits (Sec. 2, Sec. 3). A modifier is essentially a code added to a bill to provide extra information about the service. The legislation also tackles access barriers, requiring the Secretary of Health and Human Services to develop guidance within one year on improving telehealth for individuals with limited English proficiency (LEP), covering things like interpreter use and translated materials (Sec. 5). Additionally, by January 1, 2026, Medicare providers must receive education on using telehealth for periodic screening of medication-induced movement disorders in at-risk patients (Sec. 8). These measures aim to integrate telehealth smoothly and equitably into the healthcare system.