Telehealth and Trump: Advocates hope for support, and a deal before the deadline

Healthcare groups have said telehealth has enjoyed strong bipartisan support in recent years, and they are banking on that to continue in President-elect Donald Trump’s second term.

Telehealth advocates say they're anxious to work with President-elect Donald Trump. They're also pushing President Biden and Congress to approve extensions for telehealth programs that are slated to expire at the end of the year.

The American Telemedicine Association noted Trump’s backing of virtual care programs, which greatly expanded in the final months of his first term due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Kyle Zebley, senior vice president of public policy for the American Telemedicine Association and the executive director of ATA Action, noted Trump’s support as the group congratulated him on his victory in the election.

“President-elect Trump and his administration were strong proponents of telehealth during his first stay in the White House, creating important policy flexibilities that allowed for immediate and appropriate access to virtual care services early in the COVID-19 pandemic, for which we are grateful,” Zebley said in a statement.

Zebley said he’s anxious to work with the Trump White House “to ensure that access to needed care continues to be available to all Americans, and that telehealth services become a permanent part of healthcare delivery in our country.”

• Read more: What another Trump presidency could mean for public health

However, the American Telemedicine Association and other healthcare groups are hoping President Biden and Congress will pass some critical legislation in the coming weeks, and they face a looming deadline.

Some key provisions on telehealth programs are slated to expire at the end of year. Healthcare groups and hospitals are pushing the White House and lawmakers to extend provisions that enable providers to operate telehealth programs, including hospital-at-home programs.

“It is our sincere hope that Congressional leaders on both sides of the aisle act swiftly to advance a bill extending telehealth flexibilities and get it to President Biden’s desk for signature before year-end,” Zebley said. “We cannot understate the urgency of extending these flexibilities in order to avoid interrupting needed and often life-saving care for millions of patients.”

In an increasingly rare show of bipartisan support, Democratic and Republican lawmakers have supported a bill to extend telehealth programs. The House & Energy Commerce Committee passed the Telehealth Modernization Act unanimously with a 41-0 vote in September.

The bill (H.R. 7263) continues many telehealth flexibilities for an additional two years, through the end of 2026. The legislation would also provide a five-year extension for hospital-at-home programs. Nationwide, 373 hospitals in 39 states are providing acute care at home, according to data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

“Telehealth has received unprecedented bipartisan and bicameral support, spanning administrations from both parties, which we expect to continue,” Zebley said.

• Read more: Hospitals and doctors pledge to work with Trump, and spell out priorities

Telehealth proponents have said they expect Congress and the president to eventually approve another extension for telehealth programs, but they also acknowledged it wouldn’t likely get done until the end of the year. They said it would likely be wrapped up into other spending measures in Congress’ “lame duck” session.

Hospitals and telehealth groups are also pushing for the Biden administration to extend flexibilities allowing remote prescription of some controlled substances, such as Oxycontin and Xanax. Those waivers also expire at the year’s end.

While the American Telemedicine Association said it is looking forward to working with Trump, the group also praised President Biden for consistently backing telehealth programs.

“Our thanks to the Biden-Harris administration, which also demonstrated unwavering support for telehealth over the past four years,” Zebley said in a statement.

Zebley has repeatedly hailed the support of Trump and President Biden. In a 2022 interview with Chief Healthcare Executive®, Zebley said, “We’re one of those rare issues that had extraordinary support in the Trump administration, which carried over into the Biden administration.”

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