Audio-Only Telehealth Access Act of 2025
Summary
What This Bill Does
The Audio-Only Telehealth Access Act amends Medicare's telehealth payment rules so the Secretary must cover and pay for listed telehealth services when they are furnished through an audio-only communication system. The covered services are the evaluation-and-management and behavioral-health telehealth services identified in Social Security Act section 1834(m)(4)(F)(i) as of enactment. The effective language reaches audio-only services furnished on or after the first day of the public-health emergency period described in section 1135(g)(1)(B), turning a temporary emergency-era access pathway into a permanent Medicare coverage rule for patients who cannot reliably use video visits.
Who Benefits and How
Medicare beneficiaries without reliable broadband or video-capable devices benefit because covered telehealth visits can be paid when done by phone. Rural seniors benefit because audio-only evaluation, management, and behavioral-health visits reduce travel and connectivity barriers. Behavioral health clinicians benefit because Medicare payment remains available for covered audio-only encounters. Primary care practices benefit from a clearer permanent payment path for phone-based Medicare telehealth services.
Who Bears the Burden and How
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services must administer permanent audio-only payment and coverage rules. Medicare contractors must process claims for covered audio-only telehealth encounters. Federal taxpayers and the Medicare trust funds bear the cost of paying for services that might otherwise be unpaid or delivered in person. Fraud-control staff must monitor billing integrity when services are delivered without video confirmation.
Key Provisions
- Requires Medicare coverage and payment for specified audio-only telehealth services.
- Extends payment to evaluation-and-management and behavioral-health telehealth services identified at enactment.
- Applies the rule to audio-only services furnished on or after the first day of the COVID-19 emergency period.
- Provides a permanent payment pathway for patients and clinicians using telephone-based telehealth.
Evidence Chain:
This summary is generated from the full bill text using AI analysis. Expand "Detailed Analysis" below for identified beneficiaries/burden bearers.
At a Glance
What This Bill Does
Permanently requires Medicare coverage and payment for specified evaluation-and-management and behavioral-health telehealth services furnished through audio-only communications systems, retroactive to the start of the COVID-19 emergency period.
Key Policy Areas
Medicare, Telehealth, Behavioral Health
Primary Purpose
Permanently requires Medicare coverage and payment for specified evaluation-and-management and behavioral-health telehealth services furnished through audio-only communications systems, retroactive to the start of the COVID-19 emergency period.
Policy Domains
Resolution provisions
Identified Gains
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation- Medicare beneficiaries without broadband
- Rural seniors
- Behavioral health clinicians
- Primary care practices
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
Identified Costs
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation- Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
- Medicare contractors
- Federal taxpayers
- Fraud-control staff
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
In CommitteeMr. Feenstra (for himself and Mr. Pappas) introduced the following …
Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in …
Introduced in House
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology