The shutdown leaves telehealth for Medicare patients in limbo

The shutdown leaves telehealth for Medicare patients in limbo

Yuki Noguchi

November 06, 2025 / 2:00 am

A few weeks ago, when Vicki Stearn, 68, tried to schedule a virtual visit with her doctor, she was told Medicare — at least temporarily — stopped paying for telehealth appointments when the government shut down. So Stearn was offered a choice: Make an in-person appointment, or pay out of pocket for telehealth.

"So I said, 'OK, well, when can I get an in-person appointment?' And it wouldn't have been until December."

So Stearn, who lives in Bethesda, Maryland, paid — hoping that when the government reopens, she'll be reimbursed. But Stearn, who serves on the patient advisory council for Johns Hopkins Medicine, says the loss of telehealth services complicates life for almost everyone