‘Telehealth Cliff’ Threatens Medicare Patients, Advocates Say

Hundreds of health and technology groups urge Congress to extend telehealth flexibility for Medicare beneficiaries past the end of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Last year’s CARES Act let the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services temporarily waive certain restrictions on how providers can deliver remote care.

A Biden administration proposed rule (RIN 0938–AU42) would extend temporary Medicare coverage of some telehealth services through Dec. 31, 2023, but the 430 groups said in a letter to congressional leaders that they don’t think the proposal goes far enough. They want telehealth to become a permanent fixture of the health-care system.

The groups that ...