Telehealth

• HHS issued a final rule on April 7, 2026, permanently extending Medicare telehealth flexibilities introduced during COVID-19, covering 85 million Medicaid enrollees. • Audio-only visits now reimbursable at $18-$40 per session, with $37 billion allocated through 2030 to rural providers. • Addresses access gaps in 20% of US counties lacking specialists; 'This bridges urban-rural divides,' said HHS Secretary.

Shift seen away from from traveling to states with legal abortion in favor of telehealth and mail-order pillsThe abortion rate is holding steady in the US despite total and partial bans in some states – largely because of travel across state lines and a significant increase in telehealth appointments, a new report says.US regulatory officials are weighing changes to the ways mifepristone, an abortion medication, may be dispensed, but they have reportedly pushed their review until after the midterm elections, given the widespread support for abortion across the US. Continue reading...

• The Department of Health and Human Services announced expanded telehealth reimbursement policies effective immediately, allowing federally qualified health centers in rural areas to bill for remote patient monitoring services at 80% of in-person rates. • The rule change aims to address healthcare disparities in 60 million rural Americans by enabling chronic disease management and specialist consultations without travel barriers, with CMS projecting 2.3 million rural patients will gain access to remote care. • Studies show telehealth reduces healthcare costs by 15-20% while maintaining clinical quality, with rural adoption rates currently at 12% compared to 38% in urban areas.