1. United States
2. Pa.
3. Letter

As your constituent, I urge you to act today to extend funding telehealth services via Medicare and Medicaid. Telehealth services must not end on September 30, 2025. Telehealth service should be a permanent option for all patients, and covered by all insurance, first and foremost Medicare and Medicaid. This is essential for immune compromised patients and families like mine. Nearly 80% of all people have accessed telemedicine once in their lives and 39% of all US adults had a telemedicine encounter in 2022. Over 67 million older adults will lose invaluable and convenient access to healthcare services. Nearly 20% of all Americans reside in rural or frontier regions. Rural Americans benefit from immediate access to healthcare services that telehealth provides. Telehealth services affect everyone and have received support from political leaders from all viewpoints. Already, the House Energy and Commerce Committee voted in full support to approve a two-year extension of telehealth policies in the Medicare program. We need the full House of Representatives and the Senate to sign their policy into law. In summary, I would like to see that: 1 The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) provide permanent financial support for existing telehealth services. 2 The telehealth program at Medicare should continue to adopt policies that ensure accessible access to healthcare services through different modes of communication. I appreciate your time and consideration of this important matter!