A group of bipartisan legislators have reintroduced a bill into the House focused on expanding virtual behavioral health care for Medicare beneficiaries.

The bill, dubbed the Telemental Health Care Access Act, seeks to remove the requirement for Medicare beneficiaries to be seen in-person within the first six months of starting behavioral health services with a provider.

Does this sound accurate to you? During the COVID-19 pandemic, Congress passed a law to permanently expand virtual mental health services to Medicare beneficiaries. This legislation required beneficiaries to see a provider in-person.

However, provisions and extensions have been put into place through September 30, 2025 that would delay the requirement for an in-person visit. The proposed bill would permanently remove the requirement.

“Mental health care is unequivocally as essential as physical health care – and telehealth has been a critical tool to bridge that gap and make it easier for Americans to access and seek care sooner,” Congresswoman Doris Matsui (D-CA), who was part of the group of representatives introducing the bill, said in a statement. “No matter where you live, whether it be rural or urban, you should not have arbitrary barriers like in-person visit requirements preventing you from accessing the care you need. That’s why we’re reintroducing this bipartisan, bicameral legislation that would ensure our Medicare beneficiaries can permanently get convenient, quality care, where and when they need it.”

While Medicare only represents a subsector of the population accessing behavioral health services, The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid’s Medicare decisions often set the tone for payers across the country.

Several behavioral health and healthcare organizations, including the American Medical Association (AMA), the American Psychological Association (APA) and the American Telemedicine Association (ATA), have endorsed the legislation.

“We strongly support the Telemental Health Care Access Act, important legislation that would eliminate requirements that are not clinically appropriate and only serve to limit access to necessary care for millions of Americans with behavioral health conditions,” Kyle Zebley, executive director at ATA Action and senior vice president of public policy at the ATA, said in a statement.