What the New Telehealth Extension Means
Medicare patients and physicians now have two years of uninterrupted telehealth coverage. The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026 renewed this protection. It builds on pandemic-era expansions that millions of older adults came to rely on.
The American Medical Association (AMA) strongly supports this extension. The organization has long advocated for making telehealth coverage permanent. This renewal is one of eight major wins for patients and physicians in the latest federal budget deal.
These victories were not accidental. The AMA drove them through sustained advocacy. Thousands of interactions with congressional offices, hundreds of letters, and direct testimony shaped the outcome, as detailed in the new AMA Advocacy Impact Report.
The AMA National Advocacy Conference, held in Washington, brings organized medicine to the nation’s capital. Hundreds of physicians and medical society executives attend. They hear from Congress members and administration officials. They also advocate on critical health care issues affecting physicians and patients nationwide.
Why This Win Matters for Patients
Stability for Seniors and Physicians
The two-year extension delivers certainty. Medicare patients know their telehealth benefits are covered. Physicians know they will receive reimbursement for these services.
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, Medicare patients and physicians rarely used telehealth. Regulatory and payment barriers blocked access. Congress and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) removed these barriers during the pandemic. They expanded access to audio-only visits and simplified billing. Once Medicare adopted these changes, private health plans quickly followed.
How Telehealth Transformed Medicare Care
From Barriers to Broad Access
Telehealth shifted from a rarely used option to an essential service. The pandemic removed the restrictions that had long limited its use. The results were immediate and significant.
Access expanded most in behavioral health and primary care. Rural communities, where in-person care is limited, saw strong adoption. Community health centers delivered 18 million health visits via telehealth in 2023 alone. Telehealth represented about 13% of all visits in rural health centers.
Key Benefits Backed by Data
The Numbers Speak Clearly
The evidence supporting telehealth is strong and well-documented. Here are the key findings:
Patient adoption: More than 28 million Medicare beneficiaries used telehealth in the first year of the pandemic.
Appointment completion: Patients show 64% higher odds of completing a telehealth visit compared to an in-person appointment.
Rural reach: Telehealth makes up roughly 13% of all visits in rural health centers, where access remains a major challenge.
Maternity care outcomes: Remote patient monitoring for maternity care produced a 20% reduction in preterm births and saved three in-person visits per patient.
Chronic disease management: A virtual chronic care program enrolled one million patients managing conditions including prediabetes, diabetes, hypertension, and musculoskeletal issues. Among those with uncontrolled blood pressure, 48% improved their blood pressure category. Diabetes patients saved $1,300 per member within one year.
The AMA compiled these findings in its detailed issue brief, “The Case for Permanent Telehealth Policy and Expanded Access to Virtual Care.”
The Push for Permanent Telehealth Policy
Short-Term Extensions Create Uncertainty
Multiple short-term extensions have kept telehealth services alive for Medicare patients. But each approaching deadline creates disruption. In 2025, a 43-day lapse in Medicare telehealth services occurred during a government shutdown. That gap hurt both patients and providers.
The two-year extension eases that pressure. But it is not a permanent fix. The AMA continues to push for lasting legislative change.
AMA President Bobby Mukkamala, MD, has been direct on this point. He states that making telehealth flexibilities permanent is the right decision. The AMA championed this position well before the pandemic began.
“Telehealth improves continuity of care, reduces no-show rates and is particularly valuable to seniors, those struggling with mobility issues and patients living in underserved areas,” Dr. Mukkamala wrote in an AMA Leadership Viewpoints column. Payment for health care services, he added, should be fair and equitable regardless of how those services are delivered.
AMA’s Role in Digital Health Advocacy
Leading the Charge on Technology and Care
The AMA’s advocacy extends beyond telehealth. The organization is working to make technology serve physicians effectively. This includes AI implementation, digital health adoption, and EHR usability improvements.
The AMA recently launched the AMA Center for Digital Health and AI. This center gives physicians a voice in shaping how AI and digital tools improve care. The goal is to make technology an asset rather than a burden for clinicians and patients alike.
Telehealth is a core part of this vision. The AMA recognizes it as a critical element of modern health care. Expanding telehealth policy, research, and implementation supports both physician sustainability and patient access.
