MINOOKA, Ill. (AP) — Bill Swick has a rare degenerative brain disease that inhibits his mobility and speech. Instead of the hassle of traveling an hour to a clinic in downtown Chicago to visit a speech therapist, he has benefited from virtual appointments from the comfort of his home.
But Swick, 53, hasn’t had access to those appointments for the last month.
The federal government shutdown, now in its fifth week, halted funding for the Medicare telehealth program that pays his provider for her services. So, Swick and his wife are practicing old strategies rather than learning new skills to manage his growing difficulties with processing language, connecting words and pacing himself while speaking.
“It’s frustrating because we want to continue with his journey, with his progress,” said Martha Swick, Bill's wife and caregiver. “I try to organize everything for him, and then everything has a hitch, and we have to stop and wait.”
Their experience has become common among the millions of patients with Medicare fee-for-service plans who count on pandemic-era telehealth waivers to attend medical appointments from home.
With Congress unable to agree on a deal to fund the government, the waivers have lapsed, leaving medical providers in a difficult position regarding the continuation of telehealth services without guaranteed reimbursement.
This pause has particularly affected a vulnerable population of older adults, limiting their options to seek specialists or get help when they can’t physically travel far from home. For patients like Swick, who struggle with mobility, in-person visits have become nearly impossible.
Experts warn that missing crucial therapy sessions can impede the progress of patients with dementia and other degenerative conditions, which rely on continuity of care. “It feels like you’re taking a step back,” Swick expressed during a recent interview.
A temporary pause with significant impact
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, Medicare only paid for telehealth appointments under narrow circumstances. However, the pandemic led to a significant expansion of these services, making it easier for patients to access care from their homes. The outcry from patients and healthcare providers alike has been loud, emphasizing the necessity of maintaining these crucial services, especially for those unable to travel.
As the effects of the shutdown continue to unfold, advocacy for reviving telehealth funding is intensifying. Both Bill and Martha Swick find themselves caught amid a bureaucratic struggle with little clarity on when vital services will resume.
