17/02/2025
On March 31, 2025 Medicare coverage for outpatient speech, occupational, and physical therapies via telehealth will no longer be available. This negatively impacts individuals who need services over the computer due to many factors. Some of these factors may include:
Individuals that:
-live in rural or underserved areas
-cannot drive to outpatient clinics due to medical problems or cannot afford the transportation
-cannot find specialists or therapists who service their specific conditions in their local areas
-have acute conditions such as a recent stroke and cannot be on a clinic waitlist for 6 weeks.
If this doesn't impact you now, it will likely impact you or someone you know if not now, but down the road. Telehealth is critical for access to care- strokes, head injuries, chronic pain, etc. Additionally, if you don't have Medicare, private insurers (including advantage plans) and Medicaid tend to follow suit with Medicare's guidelines. Therefore, telehealth access will likely be cut for others down the road if Congress doesn't act. Congress meets again on March 14th, so please send letters or call your representatives letting them know how telehealth access for Medicare beneficiaries has impacted you or someone you know in a positive way.
If you are a Medicare beneficiary or someone who wants to support this cause, you can click the link to get the advocacy document template: https://peakspeechtherapy.myflodesk.com/telehealth
If you are a therapist, you can click one of the links below to submit a letter.
OTs AOTA: https://www.votervoice.net/AOTA/Home
PTs APTA: https://www.apta.org/advocacy/take-action/patient-action-center
SLPs ASHA: https://www.asha.org/advocacy/takeaction/
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