Telehealth has been key to health care in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, but some of the flexibilities for this type of care for Medicare patients could expire soon.
A new report from the Bipartisan Policy Center details how Congress can improve telehealth.
Without action from Congress, telehealth provisions for Medicare expire at the end of 2024.
Maya Sandalow, senior policy analyst with the Bipartisan Policy Center, said telehealth is especially important for rural states like Idaho.
“We know that patients have to travel way farther than folks in urban areas to access care,” said Sandalow.
“Hospitals are shutting down and struggling to stay afloat. And so telehealth is really an important part of this puzzle when it comes to helping people living in rural areas to access care.”
Medicare teleheath provisions
Sandalow said Congress looks likely to give a two-year extension to telehealth provisions, but she also noted that members should consider ways to ensure people can access this care.
The report recommends three policies for Congress to consider if it extends telehealth provisions.
First, she said policymakers need to consider the cost – by mandating a study from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services – because there is some disagreement about whether it costs more than in-person care.
Sandalow said CMS should also set up a way to track telehealth companies, noting that some might be providing care only over the phone without the option for video calls.
“These companies are really important for expanding access to care,” said Sandalow, “but there are some quality concerns associated with some of these companies.”
Lastly, Sandalow said Congress should make some of the policies around telehealth provisions permanent, such as doing away with location restrictions.
She said telemedicine is going to continue to be important to the health care landscape going forward.
“Research finds that it can be really high quality, equally good as compared to in person care,” said Sandalow. “And we’re living in a behavioral health crisis and any measures to expand access to care are really important.”
