With the deadline for the latest extension of the telehealth waiver looming just a day away, the Senate has not yet signed the bill that passed through the House last week.  The bill signed by the House will allow the telehealth flexibilities to continue through the end of 2027, giving Congress time to decide if they should be made permanent.  Many patients have benefited from these services, allowing them to receive care when they may have been otherwise unable to get to an appointment due to transportation issues or other valid reasons that could keep a patient from obtaining the care they need. 

Telehealth Waivers Update: Congressional Action Ahead of the January 30, 2026 Deadline

As of January 22, 2026, Congress has taken major steps to prevent the expiration of Medicare’s telehealth flexibilities. A new appropriations “minibus” package has cleared the House, and it includes several extensions that healthcare organizations have been anxiously awaiting. Given the scope of these provisions and the number of Medicare beneficiaries and patients in general who rely on them, we remain hopeful the Senate will advance the measure as well.

On January 22, 2026, the House advanced a broad federal spending bill that contains multiple telehealth-related extensions. Most Medicare telehealth flexibilities are slated to continue through December 31, 2027, preserving the policies that have advanced virtual care since the pandemic.

There are several key flexibilities that are slated to remain in place, including:

  • Patient Location: Medicare beneficiaries may keep receiving telehealth services from home, with no rural or originating site limitations.
  • Eligible Practitioners: Physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech-language pathologists, and audiologists remain approved telehealth providers.
  • Audio-Only Coverage: Audio-only telehealth continues to be reimbursable for patients who cannot use video.
  • Mental Health Requirements: The in-person visit mandate for telemental health is postponed until January 1, 2028.
  • Hospital-at-Home: A Longer Extension: The Hospital-at-Home waiver is supporting a five-year renewal, extending its authority through September 30, 2030.

Telehealth has evolved far beyond a temporary emergency measure. These legislative actions reinforce the need for its permanence in the healthcare ecosystem. With stability comes responsibility: the ongoing need to reassess compliance practices, documentation standards, and operational workflows to align with the updated rules.

Telehealth in 2026 and Beyond: What These Extensions Mean for Healthcare

Healthcare providers and patients are advocating for the continuance of these pandemic-era flexibilities to become commonplace. Congress will need to make the decisions, but while our providers and patients are getting more and more comfortable with telehealth, the longer the waivers continue to be extended, the more difficult it will be to revert to pre-pandemic telehealth guidelines. Healthcare providers saw a tiny bit of this while waiting for the decision to continue past the previous deadline of September 30, 2025, which came later than it should have. This left some providers continuing telehealth services without knowing if they would be reimbursed, and some stopped altogether. Congress is nearing the next deadline, in just one day at the time of publishing this blog.  What will Congress do?  Will we be in a state of flux again, or will we continue? The answer is unknown. Stay tuned for more information, as we patiently wait to see what the decision will be.  December 31, 2027, or January 30, 2026? 

LW Consulting, Inc. (LWCI) offers a comprehensive range of services to assist your organization in maintaining compliance, identifying trends, providing education and training,  or conducting documentation and coding audits. For more information, contact LWCI to connect with one of our experts!