Telehealth Access for Seniors Faces Imminent Curtailment
WASHINGTON – Millions of seniors could soon lose expanded telehealth access as key Medicare flexibilities, put in place during the COVID-19 pandemic, are set to expire. These temporary measures, wich allowed for broader coverage of virtual healthcare services, are currently slated to end, potentially disrupting care for patients in rural areas and those with limited mobility.
As 2020, rural health clinics have been operating with reduced reimbursement rates for telehealth services, according to Krista Hohman. “If a facility is getting significantly less through telehealth, it’s a lot harder for them to invest in what are often very expensive technologies,” she says.
The potential expiration of these flexibilities has sparked concern that private insurers may follow suit, limiting telehealth coverage nationwide. “As Medicare goes, so goes the nation,” explains Kyle Zebley, of the American Telemedicine Association (ATA).
Advocates point to a broader dysfunction in Congress as a key obstacle to a permanent solution. Both the telehealth flexibilities and the expansion of acute hospital at-home care “should have been made permanent in a normal world of DC operating like it should,” Zebley stated. instead, Congress increasingly relies on short-term ”extenders” to address critical issues, effectively delaying long-term resolutions.Similar extensions for enhanced premium tax credits, which bolster affordability within the Affordable Care Act marketplace, are also nearing expiration.
Even if Congress had acted, proposed plans from both Democrats and Republicans offered only limited extensions – until October or November at moast - falling short of the extensive, lasting solution telehealth advocates seek.
