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Congress·In Committee·S. 3834

Senate Bill Would Add Therapists, Audiologists to Medicare Telehealth Coverage

Expanded Telehealth Access Act

about 1 month ago·View on Congress.gov
Part of: Congress Moves to Permanently Expand Medicare Telehealth Access and Providers

Legislative Progress

Senate
House
President
Law

Key Points

  • This bill would allow more types of healthcare workers to get paid by Medicare for seeing patients over video or phone. Currently, Medicare only pays for telehealth from a limited list of doctors and specialists.
  • The policy specifically adds physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech-language pathologists, and audiologists to the list of approved telehealth providers. It also includes assistants who work under their supervision.
  • This change aims to help seniors and people with disabilities who may have trouble traveling to an office for regular therapy. It makes it easier to receive rehabilitation and specialized care from home.
  • The bill gives the government the power to add even more types of healthcare providers to the approved telehealth list in the future without needing to pass a new law.
  • If passed, these changes would take effect immediately upon the bill being signed into law, providing permanent access to services that were previously only available through temporary rules.
Healthcare

Impact Analysis

Personal Impact

Scores: 1 = low, 5 = highSentiment: -5 to +5 (net benefit)

Milestones

2 milestones2 actions
Feb 11, 2026Senate

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.

Feb 11, 2026

Introduced in Senate

What Happens Next

Projected impacts based on AI analysis

Upon enactment

If enacted, new telehealth provider categories become eligible for Medicare payment immediately

Medicare beneficiaries could begin receiving telehealth visits from physical therapists, occupational therapists, audiologists, and speech-language pathologists as soon as the bill is signed into law — no waiting period.

Source Information

Document Type

Congressional Bill

Official Title

Expanded Telehealth Access Act

Bill NumberS 3834
Congress119th Congress
ChamberSenate
Latest ActionRead twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.

Sponsor

Cosponsors

(1)
D: 1

Analysis generated by AI. Always verify with official sources.