Medicare Expands Telehealth Coverage for Mental Health, Retroactive to 2021

The aptly named Telemental Health Care Access Act of 2025 is cutting through some old red tape in Medicare to make sure mental and behavioral health services delivered via telehealth are clearly covered. This isn't just a technical fix; it’s about making it easier for people on Medicare to get the help they need without having to drive across town.

The Fine Print: Behavioral Health Gets the Green Light

Section 2 of this Act updates the Social Security Act—specifically the part that governs how Medicare pays for certain services—to explicitly include “mental and behavioral health services furnished through telehealth.” Before this, the language focused mainly on “mental health services.” By adding “behavioral health services,” the bill broadens the scope of what’s covered, ensuring things like counseling, therapy, and other services addressing mental or behavioral disorders are unambiguously covered when done remotely. If you're a Medicare beneficiary who needs regular counseling but lives far from a provider, this is a clear win for access and convenience.

Clearing the Roadblocks

Beyond just clarifying the language, the bill also removes a specific restriction (previously labeled subparagraph (B) in Section 1834(m)(7) of the Social Security Act). While the bill doesn't detail what that restriction was, its removal is intended to streamline the process and eliminate an unnecessary statutory barrier to coverage. Think of it as deleting an outdated rule that was slowing down the ability of providers to get paid for virtual visits, which ultimately helps keep those virtual appointments available to patients.

A Look Back: Retroactive Coverage

Perhaps the most interesting detail is that these changes are effective retroactively, applying as if they were part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021. This means that the expanded coverage and the removal of the old restriction apply to services furnished since that earlier date. For providers who might have been navigating uncertain billing rules or for patients who may have faced confusion about coverage during that time, this retroactive clarity ensures that mental and behavioral health services provided via telehealth during the past few years are definitively covered under these expanded rules. It provides needed certainty to the system, confirming that telehealth is here to stay for mental health care.