Healthcare
Telehealth Access for Medicare Patients: Consolidated Appropriations Act Extends Key Policies
By George W. Bodenger
Healthcare providers that rely on telehealth to serve Medicare patients can continue to do so as a result of an extension of the Medicare telehealth rules that were originally implemented during the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (“COVID”).
On February 3, 2026, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026, H.R. 7148 was signed into law and, among other features, extends key components of the emergency telehealth requirements and will continue to allow for increased provider eligibility, remote care from home, and relaxed site-of-service, all rules upon which providers have extensively relied since COVID. CMS extended these rules in order to provide greater flexibility and remote health care access.
Providers should be aware that this extension will only last through December 31, 2027, unless Congress puts a permanent solution in place.
