The answer is “we’re working on it”. As Readers recall from the blur that the final Federal budget extension turned out to be, cut down from an elephantine 1,547 pages to 118 pages, three telehealth provisions from the American Relief Act (ARA), of a total of six in the elephant version, were approved through 31 March [TTA 19 Dec]:
- The Special Diabetes Program (Sec. 3102)
- Telehealth flexibilities (Sec. 3207)
- Hospital care at home (Sec. 3208)
A more extensive explanation of the above three that were extended, and the provisions that were omitted, is available here from law firm McDermott Will & Emery.
The American Telemedicine Association‘s advocacy arm, ATA Action, has sent out an email to media rebutting current rumors that the telehealth flexibilities will not be extended. They affirm that President Trump and his team are working with Congress to extend telehealth flexibilities. Since there is no link as of yet on ATA’s site, your Editor is doing what she never does, which is to print a release verbatim deleting only the ‘about’ section–because of its importance. The ATA release as PDF:
ATA ACTION ADDRESSES RUMORS REGARDING TELEHEALTH EXTENSIONS
WASHINGTON, D.C., FEBRUARY 21, 2025 – ATA Action, the advocacy arm of the American Telemedicine Association, addressed today’s rumors, mistakenly claiming that telehealth services will not be extended past the March 31 deadline.
“Despite today’s rumors, our conversations on Capitol Hill confirm that President Trump and his team are actively working with Congress to extend vital telehealth flexibilities beyond the looming March 31, 2025, deadline,” said Kyle Zebley, senior vice president, public policy, the ATA and executive director, ATA Action. “Telehealth is a bipartisan success story, delivering affordable, safe, and effective care to millions of Medicare beneficiaries. In 2020, the Trump administration acted swiftly to expand telehealth access, a move that has since enjoyed broad support across Congress and the Biden administration. Telehealth must always remain a bipartisan issue.
“We commend both Administrations and Congress for their leadership and urge them to make telehealth flexibilities permanent or extend them for as long as possible. Medicare beneficiaries deserve access to care that is convenient, effective, and uninterrupted,” Zebley added. “Patients, providers, and policymakers across the aisle recognize its value, and ATA Action remains committed to preserving and strengthening this support. We stand ready to work with all lawmakers and the administration to keep telehealth accessible and ensure it remains a cornerstone of modern healthcare. We cannot afford to let access to telehealth expire on April 1.”
The next few weeks will tell, now that RFK, Jr. is now confirmed at HHS. And Congress will be pressed to address not only the budget, but also the scorching hot button of extending previous tax cuts to help jumpstart the economy.
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