Medicare Telehealth Gets Permanent Boost: CONNECT for Health Act Removes Geographic Limits, Expands Access Starting 2025

The CONNECT for Health Act of 2025 aims to make many pandemic-era telehealth flexibilities permanent under Medicare. This legislation fundamentally changes where and from whom Medicare beneficiaries can receive virtual care, removing key geographic and site restrictions largely effective October 1, 2025. Its main goal is to solidify telehealth's role in Medicare, expanding access while adding measures for oversight and quality control.

Your Doctor's Visit, Anywhere?

Remember needing to be in a specific rural clinic to get telehealth covered by Medicare? Section 101 scraps that geographic requirement starting October 1, 2025. Section 102 permanently removes limits on 'originating sites' – meaning you could potentially have a covered telehealth visit from your own home, whether you're in a city or the countryside. The bill also opens the door for more types of healthcare professionals, like physical therapists or dietitians, to offer telehealth services under Medicare starting Oct 1, 2025, if the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) deems it clinically appropriate (Section 103). Federally Qualified Health Centers and Rural Health Clinics get continued payment pathways for telehealth (Section 104), and certain Native American health facilities face fewer location restrictions starting January 1, 2026 (Section 105).

Easier Access, Especially for Mental Health & Hospice

The bill specifically targets some existing hurdles. Section 106 eliminates the rule requiring an in-person visit within six months before starting telemental health services, potentially making it much easier to connect with a therapist virtually right away. For hospice care, Section 108 permanently allows telehealth visits for required patient recertifications, removing the previous September 30, 2025 expiration date for this flexibility. Think of someone needing ongoing hospice care confirmation but finding travel difficult – this allows that check-in via telehealth indefinitely. The bill also ensures HHS can waive certain telehealth rules during future public health emergencies (Section 107).

Keeping It Honest: Oversight and Support

With expanded access comes a focus on making sure things are done right. Section 202 authorizes $3 million annually from 2026-2030 specifically for HHS's Inspector General to audit and investigate telehealth services. Section 203 directs HHS to identify physicians with 'significant outlier' billing patterns for telehealth compared to their peers and notify them, providing education on proper billing. It also clarifies rules (Section 201) so providers can give patients necessary technology (like remote monitoring devices) for telehealth without automatically violating fraud laws, provided it's not solicited and meets HHS requirements. To help everyone adapt, the bill mandates resources for patients on using telehealth, including accessibility for those with disabilities or limited English proficiency (Section 301), and educational materials for providers on best practices (Section 302).

Measuring What Matters & Tracking Progress

Is telehealth actually leading to good health outcomes? Section 303 requires HHS to review quality measures to ensure they properly account for care delivered via telehealth, consulting experts and issuing guidance. Finally, Section 304 mandates quarterly public reports from Medicare on telehealth usage – showing who is using it, for what services, where, from which provider types, and its impact on spending. This aims to provide ongoing transparency about how these changes are playing out in the real world.