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Congress·In Committee·11 months ago

Senate Bill Would Make Medicare Telehealth Permanent, Dropping Geographic Limits and In-Person Mental Health Rules

Also known as: CONNECT for Health Act of 2025

Legislative Progress

✓ Filed
Review
Senate
House
President

Impacts

Mixed Impacts(1)
Tribal Member
Neutral
Positive Impacts(8)
Medicare
Helps
Chronic Illness
Helps
Retiree
Helps
Disability Benefits
Helps
Mental Health
Helps
Physical Disability
Helps
Sensory Disability
Helps
Cognitive Developmental
Helps

Key Points

  • Medicare would cover telehealth more broadly by ending geographic limits starting Oct. 1, 2025, so people could use telehealth in more places, not just certain rural areas.
  • It would expand where patients can be located for a telehealth visit and keep key telehealth flexibilities in place once the law is enacted.
  • It would remove the rule that some telemental health patients must have an in-person visit every 6 months, making therapy by telehealth easier to keep using.
  • It would support more telehealth options through health centers and rural clinics, and expand telehealth access rules for Indian Health Service and tribal facilities starting Jan. 1, 2026.
  • It would add guardrails: allow providers to give patients certain needed tech for telehealth, fund federal oversight with $3 million per year for 2026–2030, and track unusual telehealth billing patterns.
HealthcareMedicare MedicaidConsumer Protection

Milestones

2 milestones2 actions
Apr 2, 2025Senate

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.

Apr 2, 2025

Introduced in Senate

What Happens Next

Projected impacts based on AI analysis

On the date the bill is enacted

Expanded Medicare telehealth “originating site” options begin

More Medicare patients can receive telehealth from more locations (including more home-based care situations), without relying on temporary extensions.

Related News

2 articles
Health Exec·6 months ago

MGMA: Congress needs to act soon to preserve access to telemedicine programs

Healthcare leaders are warning that Medicare patients could lose access to telemedicine services unless Congress passes the CONNECT for Health Act of 2025 (H.R. 4206). The bill would make permanent emergency provisions that allowed recipients to access telehealth from home regardless of location.

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AHA News·11 months ago

Senators reintroduce bipartisan bill expanding telehealth services

A bipartisan group of 60 senators reintroduced the CONNECT for Health Act, which would expand patient access to telehealth through Medicare by removing geographic barriers and making permanent the flexibilities established during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Source Information

Document Type

Congressional Bill

Official Title

CONNECT for Health Act of 2025

Bill NumberS 1261
Congress119th Congress
ChamberSenate
Latest ActionRead twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.

Sponsor

Cosponsors

(71)
D: 33R: 36I: 2

Analysis generated by AI. While we strive for accuracy, this should not be considered legal or professional advice. Always verify information with official government sources.