Telemental Health Care Access Act of 2025
The Telemental Health Care Access Act of 2025 would broaden Medicare Part B coverage to include mental and behavioral health services delivered through telehealth. By amending section 1834(m)(7) of the Social Security Act, the bill expands the scope of telehealth-covered services beyond traditional “mental health services” to explicitly cover “mental and behavioral health services” furnished via telehealth, including the provision of behavioral health services. It also removes a prior subparagraph (B) constraint and preserves continuity with the telehealth framework established in the 2021 Consolidated Appropriations Act. The amendments are to take effect as if they were included in the 2021 telehealth expansion, effectively making the change retroactive to that date.
Key Points
- 1Expands Medicare telehealth coverage to include both mental and behavioral health services delivered through telehealth, not just “mental health services.”
- 2Adds coverage for the provision of behavioral health services via telehealth, broadening the types of care eligible for telehealth under Medicare.
- 3Replaces or removes a subparagraph (B) in the current telehealth provision, which signals a simplification or expansion of the existing coverage framework.
- 4Aligns the effective date with the telehealth provisions enacted in the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (Public Law 116-260), making the change retroactive to that previous date.
- 5Maintains the existing telehealth geographic framework, ensuring that the location-based rules that apply to telehealth coverage remain in place while expanding the services covered.