Back in 2022, I wrote an article entitled “Please Step into the Virtual Waiting Room,” where I discussed how Congress expanded Medicare coverage to cover additional telehealth services, allowing patients to take visits from home. Given the pandemic, this was a game changer.  A Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Inspector General report showed that during the pandemic’s first year, 28 million Medicare recipients used telehealth. As time went on, telehealth appointments have begun to feel like the norm. In 2024, the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) reported that telehealth was used by 25% of Medicare beneficiaries.

Since the telehealth flexibilities were granted on a temporary basis in 2020, Congress has given temporary extensions multiple times. The last extension ran through September 30th, and another temporary extension was included in the government funding bill. Though with the government shut down, the legislation was never passed into law. Consequently, Medicare flexibilities ended just like that!

Obviously, this is problematic for seniors. Telehealth has allowed older adults to visit with their doctor from home, eliminating the need to travel far distances, particularly, for people with mobility challenges or immunocompromised immune systems.

A recent Time Magazine article profiled California seniors Dan and Doreen, highlighting the challenges they would face without telehealth. Last year Doreen underwent breast cancer surgery and is now suffering from a pinched nerve in her spine. Visiting her oncologist in person can be difficult, making telehealth visits her preferred option. Her husband, Dan, has pulmonary hypertension and interstitial lung disease, requiring a scooter and oxygen tank for travel. Trips to the doctor can be particularly onerous. “If you don’t have video visits, I would never see a doctor because I have such a hard time getting out of the house,” he said.

In 2021, Mass General Brigham Medical Group started a virtual urgent care service, which is available daily from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m.  Just imagine being able to skip the car ride and waiting room when possible. While I am not an older adult, I do have two young kids, who’ve made their fair share of urgent care visits. The idea of virtual visits sounds incredibly appealing.

An AARP survey found that 90% of adults 50 and older reported being “somewhat or very satisfied” with telehealth services. According to the AARP, “Telehealth is most popular among people 65 and older with long-term disabilities, as well as those who qualify for both Medicare and Medicaid, according to KFF, a Washington-based nonpartisan nonprofit formerly known as the Kaiser Family Foundation that studies health care trends.” It’s not hard to understand why telehealth for people with mobility challenges is the preferred method for doctors visits.

So, what happens now during the government shutdown? Well, some healthcare providers are still providing telehealth visits, hoping Congress fixes the problem and provides retroactive payments. Others have cancelled their telehealth appointments, since Medicare does not cover the flexibilities.

There is bipartisan support in Congress to extend telehealth flexibilities, making the current situation a shame. The federal government won’t be shut down forever—I hope that once legislation is passed to reopen it, the bill includes Medicare telehealth flexibilities. Afterwards, it’s time for Congress to pass legislation that makes these flexibilities permanent. Temporary extensions are not a long-term answer for older adults who need the certainty of knowing they can visit their doctor from home.

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Evan Carmen, Esq. is the Legislative Director for Aging Policy at the B’nai B’rith International Center for Senior Services. Click here to read more from Evan Carmen.