Speech Therapy Telehealth service HALTED for Medicare Beneficiaries

Starting January 31, 2026,  speech-language pathologists, physical therapists, occupational therapists and audiologists can no longer furnish Medicare Telehealth services.
On January 22, the House of Representatives passed the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2026 which includes language to extend Medicare telehealth waivers through December 31, 2027. These waivers allowed speech-language pathologists and other providers to provide Medicare services via telehealth. Because of no Congressional action and the government shutdown, the waivers expired on January 30. The 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.
While professional organizations and members like me have  urged Congress to enact this 2-year waiver extension and to address telehealth permanence, they really must hear from Medicare beneficiaries who have benefited from receiving therapy using a telehealth format, and also suffer from losing that access to care.What I have observed over the last 6 years is that many of my patients, including those with a medical diagnosis of Parkinson’s, have embraced telehealth. It has reduced the burden on their spouses to drive them to an office appointment, and I believe it provides patients more ownership of their program.This is the second time a government shutdown has impacted my private practice. It is difficult enough to be a healthcare provider when on an annual basis fees for service are reduced by CMS and other payer sources, the requirement for paperwork, including prior authorizations take us away from direct patient care, and medical necessity for treatment is more and more determined by insurance companies instead of the healthcare experts responsible for care.

I’m asking you at this time to join me in reaching out to your State Representative and urge them to do their job and pass bills that actually serve the American people, including an extension of the telehealth provision or even better yet, a permanent option. 

I have provided a sample message below which you can copy and paste:

You can find contact information on their website at  United States House of Representatives or  United States Senate.

Sample Message

The Honorable [first name, last name]  
U.S. House of Representatives (or U.S. Senate)  
Washington, DC 20515 (or 20510) 

Dear Representative (or Senator) [last name]: 

I am a constituent and Medicare recipient. I have accessed speech-language therapy (and/or other telehealth services) to manage symptoms related to a medical diagnosis. The loss of access to these services due to a government shutdown represents a significant gap in my care and reduces the opportunity for a better funcitonal outcome.

[If necessary, provide additional details about the issue here.] 

Please vote to extend the telehealth provision for speech-language therapy, as well as physical and occupational therapy, and or vote to establish a permanent option. Thank you in advance for your consideration of this request.  

Sincerely,                                                                                                                                                                                                                              Name, address and city.

 

 

My Mission: To enlist individuals in their treatment, and help them express their personality & spirit through voice. To educate and empower. Mary Spremulli, MA, CCC-SLP * FiTOUR® Group Exercise Instructor * Certified End of Life Specialist (CEOLS) * Voice Aerobics® A Whole  Body Approach to Voice Practice

Voice Aerobics the heART and Science of Voice Practice