Medicare's telehealth services will be extended until Jan. 30 as shutdown ends

By Jessica Hall

Telehealth services have not been covered by Medicare since Oct. 1

Telehealth services boomed during the pandemic, but still provide care for remote doctor's appointments such as mental-health services and routine visits with primary-care physicians.

Medicare's telehealth services are set to resume under the agreement to reopen the government, bringing back the pandemic-era service that allows doctors to conduct about 5% of Medicare's overall outpatient visits remotely.

Under the continuing resolution from Congress, which was approved by the House on Wednesday evening and signed by President Donald Trump, the longest-ever U.S. government shutdown has ended, and certain Medicare telehealth services will be covered by Medicare through Jan. 30. Coverage had stopped on Oct. 1.

Under the agreement, several telehealth policies will be extended, including provisions to allow patients to use their home as the originating site for non-behavioral health visits, having audio-only non-behavioral visits and having a greater range of providers eligible to provide care.

Telehealth services boomed during the COVID-19 pandemic and handled about 42% of Medicare's outpatient visits during its height, according to Ateev Mehrotra, a professor at Brown University's School of Public Health. Since then, volume had fallen to about 5% as of 2024, according to Mehrotra.

The types of medical appointments carried out via telehealth include mental-health visits, dermatological screenings and conversations with a primary-care doctor about cold or flu symptoms or routine concerns.

Previously: 67 million Medicare recipients face 'chaos' if Congress cuts telehealth benefit

Congress's deal to reopen the government did not address the expiring Affordable Care Act subsidies, which was the central issue that sparked the shutdown. Republicans have promised a vote by the second week of December on that issue.

While telehealth will be covered through Jan. 30, there has been a push by some members of Congress to make telehealth coverage permanent through proposed legislation such as the Connect for Health Act or the Telehealth Modernization Act.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

-Jessica Hall

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11-12-25 2231ET