Urge Congress to Enact Telehealth Solutions for Medicare Beneficiaries
For people living with PSP, CBD, MSA or other neurodegenerative diseases, telehealth is an important healthcare tool that allows for those seeking essential medical services and information to connect with their healthcare team virtually. In 2020, the COVID-19 relief legislation temporarily expanded access to telehealth under Medicare. As a result, telehealth has seen a sharp rise in use as Medicare beneficiaries seek to avoid traveling to hospitals and other healthcare settings and instead receive care at home when appropriate.
Without immediate Congressional action, key telehealth flexibilities under Medicare will expire on January 30, 2026, and Medicare beneficiaries will lose access to telehealth services. In order to ensure stability, avoid disruptions in health services and provide clarity for patients, family caregivers, clinicians and the healthcare system as a whole, Congress needs to enact telehealth solutions for Medicare beneficiaries which include:
- Eliminating outdated geographic and originating site restrictions
- Providing permanent authority for audio-only care where clinically appropriate
- Expanding the list of eligible providers to include therapists
- Removing restrictive barriers such as in-person requirements for telebehavioral and mental health care
- Hospice face-to-face encounters via telehealth
- Extension of the Acute Hospital Care at Home program
- Ensuring that Rural Health Clinics and Federally Qualified Health Centers can continue delivering telehealth services to the most vulnerable patients
The CONNECT for Health Act (S. 1261/H.R. 4206) and the Telehealth Modernization Act of 2025 (H.R. 5081) offer strong bipartisan solutions to achieve these goals and ensure our community does not face future care disruptions.
Please contact your representatives in Congress today and urge them to act on a long-term telehealth solution for Medicare beneficiaries in our community. Access to telehealth is a vital component of care for those diagnosed with or caring for someone with PSP, CBD, or MSA, and YOU can make an impact!
If you wish, you can add a personal message about your story (recommended no more than 2 sentences) to our pre-written message to Congress.