Telehealth Services are at Risk. Act Now!

The National Alliance for Care at Home is deeply concerned that vital telehealth extensions are at risk of not being included in Congress’s end-of-year package. While there are still opportunities for action, and the Alliance is in continued conversation with congressional leadership and staff, members should prepare a contingency plan for operations with the possibility of a lapse in telehealth services beginning January 1, 2025.

While you may have seen telehealth included in a previous version of the House of Representatives’ end-of-year package, it has not passed and its future remains uncertain. If telehealth flexibilities are not extended, to be safe, members should operate as though telehealth will no longer be permissible after December 31, 2024. We would expect the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to offer future clarification and guidance on telehealth.

If you have relationships or contacts in congressional offices, it’s paramount that you reach out now. Provide succinct, impactful information on the dire consequences of not extending telehealth services. Below are key points to guide your outreach:

• Critical Provisions at Risk: Vital telehealth extensions could expire on January 1, 2025, if Congress doesn’t act swiftly. Congress must prioritize these provisions in any year-end funding bill to protect millions of Americans who rely on virtual care.
• Bipartisan Support is Essential: Telehealth has consistently been a bipartisan success, supported across administrations and party lines.
• Impact on Access and Innovation: Without action, patients and providers will face abrupt interruptions to services that are essential for equitable, accessible, and innovative healthcare delivery.

We’ve included resources to assist with your advocacy efforts:

• Link to Our Latest Telehealth Coalition Letter, signed by over 300 organizations
• Link to Hospice Action Network Action Alert to reach out to your representatives
• Find your legislators

The next few weeks will be critical. Please join us in ensuring Congress understands the urgency of protecting telehealth services for patients and providers nationwide.