HOW AARP IS FIGHTING FOR YOU
AARP Takes On Telehealth
WHEN THE COVID pandemic instantly isolated millions of older Americans back in 2020, telehealth technology quickly became a lifeline for people who could get medical care from home without risking infection.
That has spurred a boom in telehealth. As an organization, AARP has long promoted telehealth as an important priority in the health care arsenal for people 50-plus. Here’s how.
→ Expanding coverage. Normally, Medicare only pays for telehealth if you live in a rural area and you are at a health care facility. During the COVID-19 health emergency, those rules were eased, but some restrictions are set to return on January 1, 2025. AARP wants to make Medicare telehealth access permanent. One bill AARP has endorsed to achieve this is the CONNECT for Health Act of 2023 that is before both houses of Congress.
→ Encouraging state-level efforts. AARP has successfully advocated for more than 50 telehealth policies at the state level. In Alaska, AARP successfully pushed for Medicaid telehealth flexibilities to be extended so they would continue beyond the COVID emergency. And at AARP’s urging, Hawai‘i has temporarily allowed some telehealth services to be delivered via an interactive telecommunications system.
→ Increasing access. Access to high-speed internet connections is crucial for telehealth. AARP worked with the White House and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to invest in broadband connectivity to improve access to health care. That gave many older Americans up to $30 a month to pay for high-speed internet. AARP also supports permanent subsidies to cover broadband service.
→ Seeking solutions. AARP Research commissions studies on telehealth. That initiative, which began just prior to the pandemic, has become a long-term effort to identify, and find solutions for, the barriers to virtual and in-person health care services across the country.
→ Teaching skills. Senior Planet from AARP offers a class about telemedicine options. This lecture includes a telemedicine walk-through and what to expect from an appointment, and how to prepare for a virtual visit and pay with your insurance. Check out this class and others at seniorplanet.org/telemedicine/.
—Megan O’Reilly, AARP vice president, health and family, government affairs
AARP BOARD OF DIRECTORS Board Chair Lloyd E. Johnson, First Vice Chair Beth Ellard, Second Vice Chair Robert Blancato, Governance Committee Chair Margot James Copeland, Joseph F. Coughlin, Jeffrey D. Dunn, Jo Ann Jenkins, Rosanna A. Márquez, Alan Murray, Julio Portalatin, Marie Quintero-Johnson, Libby Sartain, David Windley