Pallone: The Trump Administration is Intentionally Creating a Telehealth Crisis for America’s Seniors

Washington, D.C. - Energy and Commerce Committee Ranking Member Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) wrote to Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Mehmet Oz today urging the Administration to use its existing legal authority to ensure seniors can continue to access telehealth services and the hospital at home program.

Seniors across the country have reported widespread disruptions and inability to schedule routine telehealth appointments since the beginning of the month. The Trump Administration appears to be exploiting the problem amid the ongoing government shutdown rather than using its existing legal authorities to allow providers to continue to see patients via telehealth appointments.

"It is critical that you take action to prevent disruption to vital services that Medicare beneficiaries rely on," Pallone wrote. "We strongly urge you to take steps to create clarity and certainty for providers and patients-including extending the current 10-day temporary hold and reminding health care providers that they have 12 months to submit Medicare claims after a service is furnished. This clarity will ensure that Medicare providers know they can hold their claims until an extension is resolved."

CMS has issued a 10-day temporary hold on telehealth claims which is the bare minimum under statute. Without further action by the Administration, all telehealth claims will be denied on a rolling basis beginning October 15, 2025. However, the agency has greater authority to indefinitely hold payments during the government shutdown in order to allow providers to continue to offer telehealth services for patients and receive reimbursement once a government funding agreement is reached.

"CMS should also issue clear and timely guidance to providers and exercise maximum regulatory and enforcement flexibility so Medicare beneficiaries can continue to access essential services, including patients who rely on the hospital at home program," Pallone continued in his letter. "It is time for this Administration to recognize its failure to act is only making worse the health care crisis that it created-with millions of Medicare beneficiaries across the country paying the price."

The Acute Hospital Care at Home program allows certain patients to receive care in the comfort of their homes, rather than in a hospital.

Congress significantly expanded Medicare's widely popular telehealth program during the Covid-19 pandemic and has continued to extend it in the years since. Authorization for the telehealth program expired on September 30, 2025, along with the lapse in government funding. However, rather than using its existing authority to grant flexibility to ensure seniors can continue to utilize telehealth services, the Trump Administration appears to be intentionally making the situation worse by causing widespread disruption and denying access to care in an effort to score political points.

"The Trump Administration's failure to provide certainty to providers is resulting in widespread disruption, chaos, and denial of health care services. Seniors and individuals with disabilities across the nation are having their telehealth appointments canceled or subject to unexpected out-of-pocket expenses-forcing some to forego necessary and lifesaving care," Pallone continued.

Read the full letter HERE.