Congress extends Medicare telehealth waivers through December 2027

On February 3, Congress approved a legislative package which includes an extension of Medicare waivers that will allow occupational therapy practitioners (OTPs) to provide services via telehealth through December 31, 2027. These waivers had expired at midnight on Friday, January 30, as they were tied to contentious budget negotiations which resulted in a brief partial government shutdown.

The 2-year extension adopts language from the Telehealth Modernization Act which was introduced by Reps. Buddy Carter (R-GA) and Debbie Dingell (D-MI) and Senators Tim Scott (R-SC) and Brian Schatz (D-HI). Medicare telehealth waivers were first enacted by Congress in 2020, and they were periodically extended until September 2025 when telehealth policy became ensnared in the Congressional spending debate that resulted in a 42-day government shutdown and expiration of the waiver. Congress eventually acted to end the government shutdown in November and extended the telehealth waivers through January 30, 2026 and applied them retroactively.

AOTA has long advocated for the inclusion of occupational therapy practitioners as Medicare telehealth providers. We have worked with Congressional champions to make sure that OTPs are included in any extension of COVID-era telehealth waivers, including this most recent one. We are hopeful that Congress will use the next two years to implement permanent Medicare telehealth policies, including making occupational therapy practitioners permanent telehealth providers to prevent future disruptions.

AOTA will update this article when CMS issues guidance regarding the brief waiver suspension.