AARP Hearing Center

Key takeaways
- 6-month extension is up Sept. 30, but Congress has a lot to do.
- Two bills in the hopper could be a longer-term option.
- Pandemic changed perceptions of telemedicine for the better.
- Appointments help many disabled or homebound patients.
- Benefits include better management of chronic conditions.
A bill that extends Medicare’s coverage of home telehealth services for six months will expire Sept. 30 unless Congress reaches an agreement to renew it again.
On Tuesday, the House Appropriations Committee released legislation, called the Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2026, HR 5371, that would keep the government open and extend telehealth coverage for 52 days through Nov. 21 if it becomes law. A number of stakeholders, including AARP, are urging Congress to make the changes permanent.
Telehealth, or telemedicine, services use technology such as the internet, video conferencing and wireless communications to provide health services remotely, removing the need for some in-person visits.
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The extended telehealth coverage under Medicare began in March 2020 to keep older adults from being exposed to COVID-19 in hospital and doctors’ waiting rooms. The service has been a boon for those who have difficulty getting to medical appointments, including older adults living in rural areas or with mobility problems.
Caregivers strapped for time to transport their loved ones also have benefited from the convenience.
“It’s probably the only good thing that came out of COVID, frankly, in terms of improving access because it’s been such a resounding success,” Nicholas Widmyer, director of federal affairs for the National Association of Community Health Centers based in Bethesda, Maryland, said earlier this year. “If it were to kind of lapse, that would be a step backwards for a lot of our patients’ ability to access primary care.”
Telehealth could get lost in debate on other issues
Despite strong bipartisan support for remote patient care in Medicare, whether congressional Republicans and Democrats can reach a government funding agreement in time to extend the COVID-era telehealth flexibilities is uncertain.
If allowed to expire, Medicare would return to its pre-2020 telehealth coverage that allowed the convenience for only certain beneficiaries.
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