In an issues brief released Monday, the American Medical Association (AMA) urged Congress to permanently preserve Medicare telemedicine flexibilities introduced during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Before Covid-19, only a handful of Medicare beneficiaries had access to virtual care. They must be in a rural setting, not an urban or suburban setting. They can also only use telemedicine at an approved originating location, such as a hospital or doctor's office. These restrictions are being lifted to expand access to care during Covid-19.
These flexibilities have been extended multiple times and are currently set to expire at the end of January. This reliance on temporary extensions creates uncertainty for providers and patients, the AMA noted in an issue brief.
“Since the Covid-19 public health emergency, Congress has repeatedly extended telehealth flexibilities for Medicare patients, often at the last minute, creating uncertainty for millions of patients and their physicians,” AMA President Dr. Bobby Mukkamala said in a statement. “As the current waiver deadline approaches, Congress must finally take decisive action to prevent disruptive and sudden stops in expanding telehealth services that improve continuity of care, chronic disease management, and access to rural and underserved communities.”
The issue brief explains that the use of telehealth has surged during the pandemic, with more than 28 million Medicare beneficiaries using virtual care and research showing completion rates for telehealth visits are 9.2 percentage points higher than in-person appointments.
Additionally, multiple studies, including one from the University of Michigan, have found that telemedicine does not increase overall utilization and can reduce costs, with one study showing an $82 reduction in Medicare spending per patient after a telemedicine visit compared with in-person care.
The AMA calls on Congress to take several actions, including permanently lifting restrictions on Medicare coverage of telehealth services so that patients can receive telehealth at home, no matter where they are. The group also requested that the Home Care Acute Hospital Waiver be extended through 2030 and that the virtual diabetes prevention program be authorized to continue. It also urges 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 been shown to reduce fragmentation of care, improve outcomes, increase patient engagement, and reduce costs,” the AMA said in an issue brief. “Real-world data increasingly supports its role in delivering high-quality, efficient care to populations. However, many telehealth flexibilities remain constrained by ad hoc pandemic-era policies. Viewing them as stopgap measures rather than foundational tools undermines progress toward modern, innovative, and resilient health systems.”
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