Congress has reinforced what telehealth providers have demonstrated since the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic: Medicare coverage for telehealth services is no longer a temporary, emergency accommodation, but a core component of modern health care delivery.
On February 3, 2026, the President signed H.R. 7148, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026, extending key Medicare telehealth flexibilities through December 31, 2027. The legislation once again postpones the scheduled rollback of pandemic-era waivers, offering providers near-term stability while leaving the long-term future of Medicare telehealth policy unresolved.
During this two-year extension period, health care providers may continue to furnish certain services via telehealth that would otherwise be restricted to in-person encounters. Notably:
- Patients may continue receiving telehealth services from their homes.
- Medicare-enrolled providers currently authorized to deliver telehealth services may keep doing so.
- There are no geographic limitations on where the patient or the eligible provider is physically located, within the United States, during the telehealth service.
- Rural Health Clinics (RHCs) and Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) remain eligible to serve as distant sites for non-behavioral health telehealth services.
- Providers may continue to use audio-only technology for reimbursable telehealth visits.
- Hospice providers may use audio-visual telehealth for face-to-face recertification encounters.
- Medicare beneficiaries are not required to have an in-person visit within six months of their initial behavioral health telehealth appointment.
These extended waivers apply exclusively to Medicare. Telehealth reimbursement policies under state Medicaid programs and commercial health plans may differ, and providers should review applicable coverage requirements and contractual obligations. In addition, the federal extension does not modify state licensure or scope-of-practice laws governing the provision of telehealth services.
Should you have any questions regarding this extension, please contact the authors, the Garfunkel Wild attorney with whom you regularly work, or email us at [email protected].
