Sponsors (2)
The bill improves access and provider payment for audio-only Medicare telehealth during declared emergencies — benefiting seniors and providers — but raises fiscal costs and clinical quality/substitution risks compared with video or in-person care.
Medicare beneficiaries — especially homebound and rural seniors — can receive covered audio-only telehealth during declared emergencies, improving timely access to care when travel or video access is difficult.
Providers (clinics, hospitals, health systems, clinicians) are paid under Medicare Part B for audio-only visits during declared emergencies, supporting continuity of care and provider revenue during crises.
Creates a permanent, clearer emergency telehealth flexibility for the declared emergency period, reducing administrative uncertainty for state governments and health systems about allowable telehealth modes during future emergencies.
Expanded audio-only coverage is likely to increase Medicare spending during declared emergencies, adding costs for taxpayers and potential pressure on the Medicare Trust Fund.
Audio-only visits limit clinicians' ability to assess patients compared with video or in-person care, increasing the risk of misdiagnosis or missed conditions for some patients (including people with disabilities).
Wider use of audio-only telehealth could incentivize substituting lower-complexity remote visits for needed in-person care, potentially shifting care patterns without clear quality safeguards.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Requires Medicare to cover and pay for specified telehealth services delivered via audio-only during the declared emergency period, effective from its start.
Requires the Department of Health and Human Services to have Medicare cover and pay for certain telehealth services when those services are delivered by audio-only communications during a declared emergency period, effective on or after the start of that emergency. This makes audio-only delivery an allowable mode for the specified telehealth services provided during the emergency period referenced in the law.
Introduced March 6, 2025 by Randy Feenstra · Last progress March 6, 2025