Central Oregon Medicare: Confirm Telehealth Coverage by Dec. 31, 2027

Medicare covers a wide range of telehealth services right now, and beneficiaries can get virtual care from home without traveling to a clinic. Behavioral and mental health telehealth flexibilities are permanent, but many non-behavioral home-based telehealth options are only guaranteed through December 31, 2027. Expect to pay your Part B deductible, then typically 20% coinsurance, and always confirm details with your provider or plan.

TL;DR:

• Non-behavioral telehealth services will only be available at home and outside geographic restrictions until December 31, 2027, unless extended again by Congress.
• Over 250 telehealth codes are billable in 2026, and providers must confirm the specific CPT or HCPCS codes before billing to avoid surprises.
• Originating-site rules allowing care from anywhere in the U.S. for non-behavioral services are temporary and may revert after 2027; behavioral health remains permanently covered.
• Medicare beneficiaries pay 20% coinsurance after meeting the Part B deductible, with some provisions for originating-site fees if appointments occur at clinics.
• Only licensed practitioners such as physicians and licensed mental health providers can bill Medicare for telehealth visits, and eligibility depends on the service type and location rules.

Table of Contents

• What telehealth services does Medicare actually cover?
• Who can bill Medicare for telehealth, and where can it happen?
• What will telehealth cost you, and how does billing work?
• Which telehealth rules are permanent, and which expire in 2027?
• How do you confirm your coverage before a telehealth visit?
• Why we put this guide together
• Get help sorting out your Medicare telehealth benefits
• Sources
• FAQ

What telehealth services does Medicare actually cover?

Medicare recognizes three distinct categories of virtual care, and knowing the difference helps you understand what shows up on your bill. Telehealth refers to live, two-way audio-video visits that mimic an in-person appointment. E-visits happen through a secure patient portal, where you message your provider about a non-urgent issue and they respond within a set window. Virtual check-ins are brief, real-time phone or video exchanges, often used to decide whether you need to come in for a full visit. Each category has its own documentation and consent rules, which is why two patients can have similar-sounding calls with their doctor and receive different bills.

The Medicare.gov telehealth page frames coverage around the service itself rather than the format: if Medicare pays for a service in person, it generally pays for the same service delivered by telehealth, as long as the technology meets interactive requirements. Common examples include:

• Outpatient psychotherapy and behavioral health counseling
• Cognitive assessments and care planning for dementia
• Diabetes self-management training
• Advance care planning conversations
• Selected physical and occupational therapy services
• Remote patient monitoring for chronic conditions, when billing requirements are met

CMS maintains an official List of Telehealth Services with the specific HCPCS and CPT codes that determine what’s payable. The 2026 version of that list includes more than 250 codes, and CMS updates it annually, so a service that wasn’t covered last year might qualify now.

Who can bill Medicare for telehealth, and where can it happen?

Not every clinician can bill Medicare for a virtual visit, and the rules around where you’re located matter too. Eligible distant-site providers, meaning the clinician on the other end of the call, include:

• Physicians, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants
• Clinical psychologists and clinical social workers
• Marriage and family therapists and mental health counselors
• Other licensed practitioners CMS recognizes for specific telehealth codes

Federally Qualified Health Centers and Rural Health Clinics can also serve as distant-site providers, which matters for beneficiaries in underserved or rural parts of the country who might otherwise drive long distances for care. This expands access without requiring a specialist’s office nearby.

Originating-site rules, the requirement that once limited where a patient had to be located to receive telehealth, have been loosened. Through December 31, 2027, most beneficiaries can receive non-behavioral telehealth from anywhere in the United States, including their own homes, rather than only from a clinic or hospital.

What will telehealth cost you, and how does billing work?

Cost sharing for telehealth generally mirrors in-person care. Once you’ve met your Part B deductible, you typically pay 20% coinsurance for a covered telehealth visit, the same split you’d see for an office visit with the same code.

More than 250 telehealth codes appear on the CMS List of Telehealth Services for 2026, giving providers a wide menu of billable virtual services and giving beneficiaries a way to check whether a specific visit type qualifies.

A few billing details worth knowing:

• When telehealth originates at a clinic or facility rather than your home, that site may bill an originating-site facility fee under code Q3014, and the CY 2026 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule final rule updated payment amounts for that fee.
• The same rule removed the old provisional-versus-permanent labeling system for telehealth codes, simplifying how CMS adds new services going forward.
• Medicare Advantage plans can offer telehealth benefits beyond what Original Medicare covers, so cost sharing and prior authorization rules vary by plan and are worth checking directly.

Which telehealth rules are permanent, and which expire in 2027?

This is the distinction that trips up most beneficiaries, so it’s worth stating plainly. Behavioral and mental health telehealth flexibilities are now permanent under Medicare policy. That includes receiving care from home, using audio-only phone calls when video isn’t practical, and skipping the initial in-person visit that was once required before starting virtual therapy. For more detail on how this affects specific costs, see our breakdown of Medicare mental health coverage.

Non-behavioral telehealth is a different story. Home-based access and the geographic waivers that let beneficiaries receive care without traveling to a clinic are extended only through December 31, 2027, not made permanent. Audio-only allowances for these services follow the same timeline. Congress has repeatedly extended similar flexibilities in the past, but nothing guarantees another extension.

The practical takeaway: don’t assume today’s home-based telehealth access for a non-behavioral service, like a follow-up with your primary care doctor, will still exist in its current form after 2027. Ask your provider now what their contingency plan looks like, and keep an eye on CMS and HHS announcements as the deadline approaches.

How do you confirm your coverage before a telehealth visit?

A few minutes of checking before your appointment can prevent a confusing bill later.

1. Call your provider’s billing office and ask which CPT or HCPCS code they plan to bill for your visit.
2. Check the Medicare.gov telehealth coverage page to confirm the service type is listed.
3. If you have a Medicare Advantage plan, call the number on your plan ID card, since benefits and prior authorization rules differ from Original Medicare.
4. Ask whether the visit qualifies as telehealth, an e-visit, or a virtual check-in, since each has different rules.

Before your visit, confirm whether it will be audio-only or video, make sure you understand what you’re consenting to, and keep records of that consent along with any Explanation of Benefits you receive afterward.

Pro Tip: Ask your provider for written confirmation of the billing code before a non-emergency telehealth visit, especially if you’re unsure whether the service is covered.

Why we put this guide together

We wrote this because too many Central Oregon clients call us confused about what their telehealth visit will actually cost, or whether it’s covered at all. The agency takes an education-first approach: no call center scripts, no pressure, just straight answers. We track CMS and HHS guidance closely so we can help clients confirm telehealth coverage and compare plan benefits accurately. Verify your own situation directly, and consider us a local resource when you need one.

— Jesse Zimmerman

Get help sorting out your Medicare telehealth benefits

Reading CMS bulletins is not how anyone wants to spend an afternoon, and plan documents rarely make coverage rules clearer. Mountain Top Insurance offers free consultations where we walk through your specific Medicare situation, including how your plan handles telehealth, e-visits, and virtual check-ins. Our Medicare guidance services cover eligibility questions, and our enrollment assistance team can help you switch plans if your current one falls short on remote care benefits. If you already have coverage, an annual plan review is a good way to check whether a better telehealth benefit is available before the next enrollment window closes. Reach out and we’ll go through it together, no pressure, no obligation.

This article is general information, not a substitute for advice from a qualified doctor. Consult a qualified healthcare professional about your own circumstances before acting on anything here.

Sources

• Telehealth Insurance Coverage
• List of Telehealth Services | CMS

FAQ

Will Medicare continue paying for telehealth in 2026?

Yes, Medicare covers a broad range of telehealth services in 2026, including behavioral health visits, e-visits, and many primary and specialty care services delivered virtually. Behavioral health telehealth flexibilities are permanent, while many non-behavioral home-based flexibilities remain in place through December 31, 2027.

Which telehealth services does Medicare cover?

Medicare covers services like psychotherapy, cognitive assessments, diabetes self-management training, advance care planning, and certain therapy and remote monitoring services when billed under codes on the CMS List of Telehealth Services. If Medicare covers a service in person, it typically covers the same service by telehealth when the technology meets interactive requirements.

Is telehealth coverage extended through 2027?

Home-based access and geographic waivers for many non-behavioral telehealth services are extended through December 31, 2027, but this is a temporary extension rather than a permanent rule. Behavioral and mental health telehealth flexibilities, by contrast, are already permanent.

What does the current CMS ruling say about telehealth visits?

The CY 2026 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule final rule simplified how CMS reviews and adds telehealth services, removed the old provisional-versus-permanent code distinction, and updated payment amounts including the Q3014 originating-site facility fee. It also removed some frequency limits that previously restricted how often certain telehealth services could be billed.

How much will I pay for a Medicare telehealth visit?

For most telehealth services under Original Medicare, you’ll pay your Part B deductible first, then typically 20% coinsurance, mirroring what you’d pay for the same service in person. Medicare Advantage plans may have different cost sharing and prior authorization rules, so check your specific plan.

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Disclaimer: This article is for general educational purposes only and does not constitute personalized advice. Medicare rules and plan details change frequently.