Key Senate panel wants to axe in-person requirement for virtual mental health services
WASHINGTON — A bipartisan group of senators working on mental health policy have proposed axing a requirement that would have restricted seniors’ access to services via telehealth, they announced Thursday.
Congress made access to mental health services through telehealth for seniors permanent in 2020, but there was a catch — seniors had to have visited the same provider in-person within the previous six months. That requirement hasn’t technically gone into effect yet because emergency regulations are still in place due to the pandemic, but if it were implemented, it could dramatically limit seniors’ options for mental health services.
