A new bill could change Medicare coverage requirements for Americans across the country.
With Medicare was set to run out of funding for telehealth coverage by the end of March, Democratic Representative Ro Khanna of California has introduced the Telehealth Coverage Act to continue the services.
Why It Matters
More than 66 million Americans use Medicare as their health insurance each year.
The pandemic popularized telehealth as an option as patients looked to reduce the risk of spreading COVID-19. But now many have become reliant on the practice, especially in rural areas where getting to a medical facility can take longer and be more cumbersome for seniors.
What To Know
Medicare’s telehealth coverage was scheduled to run out on March 31, but Khanna’s new bill would continue it.
Under President Donald Trump‘s first administration, Medicare telehealth was expanded to allow coverage during the pandemic, when virtual visits became increasingly common.
And former President Joe Biden signed off on the American Relief Act 2025, which expanded originating sites for telehealth services and delayed in-person requirements under Medicare for mental health services.
However, if the funding for Medicare telehealth coverage runs out, most seniors on the government-run health insurance would need to find an in-person facility. That is likely to impact more than 12 million Americans, according to Khanna, despite the low level of fraud that has been discovered in telehealth.
“Why are we taking telehealth away from millions of seniors who are homebound or who have difficulty leaving their homes?” Khanna said in a statement. “It is most devastating for rural Americans.”
What People Are Saying
Democratic Representative Ro Khanna of California, on X, formerly Twitter: “Because of the Trump administration, seniors will no longer be covered for telehealth starting March 31st. That is why I am introducing the Telehealth Coverage Act, requiring Medicare to cover seniors’ telehealth services. Let’s pass this and make sure millions of seniors, especially in rural communities, don’t lose coverage.”
Alex Beene, a financial literacy instructor for the University of Tennessee at Martin, told Newsweek: “It’s become clearer in recent months that the pandemic-era expansion of telehealth services did more than just assist patients during that time who faced health-related restrictions. Those services opened to door to more care for patients in rural communities who had lost clinics and hospitals in recent years to receiving pivotal treatments without having to travel extensively to get them. I think we’re going to see a strong push from legislators from both parties who serve rural areas to support extending these services, as they’ve become more essential to their constituencies who need care.”
What Happens Next
Unless the Telehealth Coverage Act is passed, patients covered by Medicare must find a medical office or facility for all the services they once received under telehealth begnning April 1. This is the case unless you live outside a rural area and are receiving certain treatments for end-stage renal disease, acute strokes or mental and behavioral health disorders.
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