January 2026

By Eric Wicklund, Healthleadersmedia.com

Congress is moving forward with a healthcare package that would, among other things, extend the telehealth waivers and the CMS Acute Hospital Care at Home (AHCaH) program.

According to news reports Tuesday out of Washington DC, the bill, part of a package being prepared for a vote to fund government agencies and avoid a potential shutdown, would extend the telehealth flexibilities through 2027 and the AHCaH program through 2030. It would also boost this year’s funding for community health centers to $6.4 billion and enable Medicare coverage for multi-cancer early detection screening tests.

Advocates reacted with cautious optimism to the news, noting that the bipartisan bill will still have to pass muster with GOP fiscal conservatives – and be approved by President Trump.

“We’ve seen before that even strong, bipartisan proposals can face unexpected hurdles late in the process, which is why it’s important not to take any outcome for granted when it comes to Congressional legislation,” Alexis Apple, vice president of federal affairs for the American Telemedicine Association and deputy executive director of ATA Action, said in a press release. “This momentum is real and meaningful, and it is a very good sign that telehealth provisions continue to advance with bipartisan support. We are optimistic this legislation can move forward, as it includes a number of strong bipartisan priorities and is not tied to the more partisan homeland security funding debate currently underway.”

Aside from the extensions, the bill would extend coverage for in-home cardiopulmonary rehabilitation services through 2027; enhance Medicare coverage of durable medical equipment (DME) services; mandate that the Health and Human Services Department issue guidance within a year on improving virtual care services for patients with limited English proficiency; and include digital health companies in the Medicare Diabetes Prevention Program through 2029.

The bill, if passed into law, provides some measure of relief for healthcare leaders mapping out their telehealth and Hospital at Home strategies, but advocates were quick to point out it’s just another in a long line of extensions approved by federal regulators since they were enacted in 2020 during the COVID pandemic.

Without this deal, the telehealth waivers and AHCaH program would expire in less than two weeks.

Supporters say the telehealth flexibilities in particular are needed to help expand and improve virtual care services offered through health systems and hospitals. Without any assurance that they would be permanent, leadership has to develop and fund programs with the understanding that they may have to be shut down when the waivers expire.

Through those flexibilities, the government has:

• Waived geographic restrictions on telehealth coverage and use;
• Expanded the list of providers able to bill Medicare for telehealth services;
• Allowed audio-only telehealth services;
• Eased originating site restrictions on telehealth so that the patient can receive treatment at home;
• Waived the in-person requirement for telemental health treatment;
• Enabled telehealth service for hospice care; and
• Enabled Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) and Rural Health Clinics (RHCs) to use telehealth.

By Jessica Hall, Marketwatch.com

Telehealth services for Medicare beneficiaries which were slated to end later this month may get a two-year extension that could keep in place the pandemic-era services available to more than 67 million beneficiaries.

Under a funding package released by the U.S. House appropriations committee on Tuesday, Medicare’s telehealth coverage would be extended until Dec. 31, 2027. Policymakers face a Jan. 30 deadline to extend telehealth funding, or coverage that has been in effect since March 2020 will lapse.

Written by Susan Morse, HealthcareFinanceNews.com

The American Telemedicine Association is warning of yet another upcoming telehealth cliff.

There are just 24 days left for Congress to pass a federal budget and to extend the next telehealth deadline, before the government shuts down on Jan. 30, the ATA yesterday.

ATA Action, the affiliated policy and legislative advocacy arm of the American Telemedicine Association, is once again urging Congress to act to avoid another lapse in telehealth services.

The answer is for Congress to make permanent what has been temporary extensions since the end of the COVID-19 public health emergency, the ATA said.

“We are counting on our government champions to find a permanent solution or at least to establish a long-term extension for these telehealth waivers,” said Alexis Apple, deputy executive director, ATA Action, and vice president of federal affairs at the ATA.

Also on the chopping block at the end of the month unless Congress acts are Medicaid Disproportionate Share Hospitals (DSH) cuts and the acute hospital care at home program.

WHY THIS MATTERS

Telehealth and other flexibilities are supported by hospitals.

All are tied up in the government funding package and are of concern, said America’s Essential Hospitals.

THE LARGER TREND

Telehealth and other healthcare flexibilities were threatened in the last government shutdown, which began Oct. 1 and became the longest shutdown in U.S. history. It ended Nov. 12 when Congress reached a budget agreement.

Democrats had held out for a continuation of Affordable Care Act enhanced subsidies but failed to get that pushed through.

The U.S. House of Representatives today was poised to vote on a three-year extension of the tax credits. The legislation is expected to pass the House, but was believed to have no chance in the Senate.

ON THE RECORD

“With only a handful of days left, time is running out for Congress to send legislation to President Trump for signature, extending essential telehealth and digital health services for the Medicare population, as well as for the millions of Americans in rural and urban communities and those with chronic and acute conditions who have come to rely on these virtual care solutions,” said ATA’s Apple. “We realize that Congress is returning to Washington with a number of pressing issues to address, right out of the gate. However, extending these telehealth waivers, originally put in place by President Trump during his first term in office, should be a slam dunk.”

By Marissa Plescia (MedCityNews.com)

In an issue brief released Monday, the American Medical Association (AMA) urged Congress to make permanent the Medicare telehealth flexibilities introduced during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Before Covid-19, only a select few Medicare beneficiaries could access virtual care. They had to be in a rural setting, not an urban or suburban setting. They also could only use telehealth in an approved originating site, like a hospital or a physician’s office. These restrictions were waived during Covid-19 in order to expand access to care.

These flexibilities have been extended numerous times and are currently set to expire at the end of January. This reliance on temporary extensions has created uncertainty for providers and patients, the AMA argued in the issue brief.

“Since the Covid-19 public health emergency, Congress has repeatedly extended telehealth flexibilities for Medicare patients—often at the last moment—creating uncertainty for millions of patients and their physicians,” said AMA President Dr. Bobby Mukkamala, in a statement. “As the current waiver deadline approaches, Congress must finally act decisively to prevent a disruptive and abrupt halt to the expanded telehealth services that have improved care continuity, chronic disease management, and access for rural and underserved communities.”

The issue brief explains that telehealth use surged during the pandemic, with more than 28 million Medicare beneficiaries using virtual care, and studies show telehealth visits are 9.2 percentage points more likely to be completed than in-person appointments.

In addition, multiple studies, including one from the University of Michigan, found that telehealth does not increase overall utilization and can lower costs, with one study showing $82 lower Medicare spending per patient after a telehealth visit compared with in-person care.

The AMA calls for several congressional actions, including permanently removing restrictions on Medicare coverage of telehealth services so patients can receive telehealth at home regardless of location. The organization also asks to extend the Acute Hospital at Home Care waiver through 2030 and authorize continued use of virtual diabetes prevention programs. It is also pushing lawmakers to address coverage and payment barriers for remote patient monitoring devices to improve maternal and child health outcomes under Medicaid.

“When thoughtfully integrated, particularly through coordinated systems and hybrid care models, telehealth has demonstrated the ability to reduce care fragmentation, improve outcomes, enhance patient engagement and lower costs,” the AMA stated in the issue brief. “Real-world data increasingly supports its role in delivering high-quality, efficient care across populations. Yet many telehealth flexibilities remain tethered to temporary pandemic-era policies. Treating them as stopgap measures rather than foundational tools undermines progress toward a modern, innovative and resilient health system.”

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, in partnership with the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), has issued a Fourth Temporary Extension of the COVID-19 Telemedicine Flexibilities for the Prescription of Controlled Medications, extending the current telemedicine flexibilities through December 31, 2026.

Under these telemedicine flexibilities, DEA-registered practitioners are permitted to remotely prescribe Schedule II-V controlled medications via audio-video telemedicine encounters, including Schedule III-V narcotic controlled medications approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for maintenance and withdrawal management treatment of opioid use disorder via audio-only telemedicine encounters, without having ever conducted an in-person medical evaluation, provided that such prescriptions otherwise comply with the requirements outlined in DEA guidance documents, DEA regulations, and applicable federal and state law.

“DEA supports telehealth access for patients who need medication, but not at the expense of public safety,” said DEA Assistant Administrator Cheri Oz, Diversion Control Division. “These rules aim to protect patients, expand access to care, and close the door on diversion into the illicit drug market.”

DEA recognizes that the expiration of the current telemedicine flexibilities without further regulation could disrupt patient care. This extension provides critical benefits, including:

• Ensuring continuity of care for patients who rely on telemedicine, particularly those in rural and underserved areas, the elderly, and patients with mobility limitations
• Preventing a backlog of patients needing in-person appointments
• Allowing time to finalize and implement regulations that balance access to care with the necessary safeguards against drug diversion

On January 17, 2025, DEA and HHS published two final rules titled Expansion of Buprenorphine Treatment via Telemedicine Encounter and Continuity of Care via Telemedicine for Veterans Affairs Patients (collectively referred to as the “Two Final Rules”). These rules take effect December 31, 2025.

The Fourth Temporary Extension, along with the Two Final Rules, provides three distinct sets of authorities for telemedicine prescribing, each with unique requirements. Practitioners covered by one or both of the Two Final Rules may continue to utilize the telemedicine flexibilities under the fourth temporary rule, which imposes fewer requirements than the Two Final Rules.

For more information: Federal Register :: Fourth Temporary Extension of COVID-19 Telemedicine Flexibilities for Prescription of Controlled Medications.

Information provided in a press release from the United States Drug Enforcement Administration.