Good news for telehealth access! After a brief lapse, Congress has successfully passed H.R. 7148, the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2026, extending Medicare telehealth flexibilities through December 31, 2027. The bill passed the Senate on January 30, 2026, with a 71-29 vote, providing nearly two years of stability for patients and healthcare providers who have come to rely on virtual care options.
What Happened?
The Medicare telehealth waivers—first implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic—expired on January 30, 2026. However, Congress quickly acted to restore these critical flexibilities through H.R. 7148. The new legislation applies retroactively to cover the lapse period, ensuring continuity of care for patients and reimbursement for providers.
This extension represents a significant improvement over previous short-term patches. Unlike the two-month extension passed in November 2025, this nearly two-year extension provides much greater certainty for care planning and service delivery.
Critical Flexibilities for Therapy Services
The extension preserves essential telehealth access that occupational and physical therapists have relied upon since the pandemic, including:
- Provider eligibility: Physical therapists, occupational therapists, and speech-language pathologists can continue providing and billing Medicare for telehealth services
- Geographic waivers: No restrictions requiring patients to be in rural areas or designated healthcare facilities
- Expanded originating sites: Patients can receive services from their homes, making telehealth particularly valuable for mobility-limited clients
- Audio-only services: Coverage for telephone-based visits when video isn’t feasible
- Behavioral health flexibilities: Delayed in-person visit requirements for mental health services
- Provider site expansion: Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) and Rural Health Centers (RHCs) can serve as distant-site providers
Why This Matters for Home Accessibility Therapists
Without this extension, occupational and physical therapists would have lost eligibility to serve as Medicare telehealth providers entirely. Permanent Medicare rules typically restrict telehealth services to physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, and select mental health professionals, leaving therapists out of virtual care delivery.
For home accessibility therapists specifically, the ability to conduct telehealth visits in patients’ homes is invaluable. Virtual consultations allow therapists to assess home environments, recommend modifications, provide caregiver training, and conduct follow-up visits without transportation barriers—especially critical for clients with mobility challenges.
The retroactive coverage also means any therapy services provided during the brief lapse period starting January 30 will be reimbursable by Medicare once claims are processed.
The Work Isn’t Finished
While this two-year extension provides welcome stability, permanent telehealth policy for therapy providers has not been established. The Alliance for Connected Care, American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), and over 450 healthcare organizations continue advocating for long-term solutions that make these flexibilities permanent rather than requiring repeated extensions.
When this extension expires in 2027, therapists could once again face uncertainty and potential loss of telehealth privileges unless Congress acts to create permanent policy.
Take Action: Advocate for Permanent Telehealth Policy
Your voice matters in shaping the future of telehealth access. Here’s how you can advocate for making these flexibilities permanent:
Contact Your Congressional Representative:
- Find your representative at **www.house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative**[12]
- Call the U.S. House switchboard at (202) 224-3121
- Urge them to support permanent Medicare telehealth coverage for occupational and physical therapists
Key talking points for your advocacy:
- Telehealth improves access to therapy services for homebound and mobility-limited patients
- Virtual home assessments are effective for accessibility consultations and caregiver training
- Permanent policy provides stability for practice planning and patient care continuity
- Rural and underserved communities particularly benefit from expanded telehealth access
Stay Informed
For the latest updates on Medicare telehealth policy and advocacy opportunities, visit these resources:
- Center for Connected Health Policy: https://www.cchpca.org/resources/update-on-extension-of-telehealth-medicare-waivers/
- Alliance for Connected Care: https://connectwithcare.org
- Find Your Members in Congress: https://www.congress.gov/members/find-your-member
The extension through 2027 is a victory worth celebrating, but our work continues. By staying informed and actively advocating for permanent telehealth policy, we can ensure that future patients and providers don’t face another cliff-edge expiration and uncertain coverage gaps.
Have questions about how the Medicare telehealth extension affects your practice? Reach out to your professional associations or contact your congressional representatives to make your voice heard.
References
Alliance for Connected Care. (2025, December 11). Alliance for Connected Care: Home. https://connectwithcare.org
Alliance for Connected Care. (2026, January 14). Alliance urges Congress to advance permanent telehealth. https://connectwithcare.org/alliance-urges-congress-to-advance-permanent-telehealth/
American Occupational Therapy Association. (2026, February 2). Medicare telehealth waivers will expire at midnight on January 30. https://www.aota.org/advocacy/advocacy-news/2026/congress-allows-medicare-telehealth-waivers-to-expire-again
American Occupational Therapy Association. (2025, November 12). Telehealth waivers reinstated and extended through January 2026. https://aopanet.org/telehealth-waivers-reinstated-and-extended-through-january-2026/
Congress vote: The Senate has passed H.R. 7148 – Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026. (2026, January 30). Quiver Quantitative. https://www.quiverquant.com/news/Congress+Vote:+The+Senate+has+passed+H.R.+7148+-++Consolidated+Appropriations+Act,+2026
Find your members in the U.S. Congress. (n.d.). Congress.gov. Retrieved February 3, 2026, from https://www.congress.gov/members/find-your-member
Find your representative. (n.d.). U.S. House of Representatives. Retrieved February 3, 2026, from https://www.house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative
Friar Levitt. (2026, January 28). Congress considers extending Medicare telehealth flexibilities. https://www.frierlevitt.com/articles/medicare-telehealth-flexibilities-extension-2027/amp/
House Committee on Rules. (2026, February 2). Senate amendments to H.R. 7148 – Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026. https://rules.house.gov/bill/119/hr-7148
Patients Rising. (2025, November 3). 450+ organizations demand immediate congressional action on Medicare telehealth access. https://www.patientsrising.org/advocacy-updates/450-organizations-demand-immediate-congressional-action-on-medicare-telehealth-access/
Staman, J. (2026, January 28). Health care extenders: Key provisions in the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026. American Action Forum. https://www.americanactionforum.org/insight/health-care-extenders-key-provisions-in-the-consolidated-appropriations-act-2026/
The Center for Connected Health Policy. (2026, January 26). Update on extension of telehealth Medicare waivers. https://www.cchpca.org/resources/update-on-extension-of-telehealth-medicare-waivers/
The Center for Connected Health Policy. (2026, January 29). House bill extends Medicare telehealth as shutdown looms. https://telehealth.org/news/house-bill-extends-medicare-telehealth-as-shutdown-looms/
Waller Lansden Dortch & Davis. (2026, January 27). Congress delivers historic two-year Medicare telehealth extension. https://insights.wchsb.com/2026/01/28/congress-delivers-historic-two-year-medicare-telehealth-extension/
The Home Accessibility Therapist LLC 
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