AMA, Telehealth Groups Urge Congress to Make Flexibilities Permanent

Leading provider and telehealth groups are pressing Congress to permanently authorize Medicare telehealth flexibilities, warning that temporary extensions disrupt patient access.

Major healthcare provider organizations, including the American Medical Association (AMA), are mounting a unified push for Congress to establish permanent telehealth flexibilities within Medicare. The current policies, initially enacted as temporary pandemic measures and subsequently extended in a piecemeal fashion, are set to expire once more on January 30. This cycle of short-term authorizations creates severe uncertainty for Medicare coverage and disrupts the clinical and operational stability of practices nationwide, directly impeding reliable patient access to virtual care.

The core argument from the coalition is that this regulatory instability undermines the very healthcare access it seeks to promote. Providers are hesitant to invest in the necessary technology and workflow integrations, while Medicare beneficiaries, particularly in rural and underserved areas, face a recurring threat of losing a critical care pathway. The AMA emphasizes that making these flexibilities permanent is not merely an administrative fix but a fundamental issue of care continuity. This matters because it transitions telehealth from an emergency benefit to an integral, dependable component of the modern care continuum, ensuring equitable service delivery.

For health system executives and policymakers, the implication is clear: the time for temporary measures has passed. The forecast is for increased political pressure as the deadline nears, with the potential for a significant coverage cliff. Decision-makers must advocate for comprehensive legislation that decouples virtual care from public health emergencies. The next imperative is to build a sustainable reimbursement framework that supports quality, hybrid care models. Permanence would finally allow the industry to optimize virtual care delivery at scale, fostering innovation and solidifying its role in managing chronic conditions, behavioral health, and routine follow-ups, thereby strengthening the overall healthcare infrastructure.