MONTICELLO  — U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer visited Sun River Health in Monticello Monday afternoon to advocate to protect Medicare’s rural telehealth program, of which he said is “one of the most essential elements” of healthcare for Sullivan County and Hudson Valley seniors.

“Telehealth is an amazing thing. It’s been refined in the last decade or so,” explained Schumer. “It makes health care more affordable, more accessible, more available, cheaper, and more effective for everybody.”

He noted its importance in rural areas such as Sullivan County, owing to the possibility of living many miles from the nearest hospital as an example.

“Telehealth allows people to get the medical help they need, and it saves money.” Schumer stated.

According to Schumer, the majority of people in Sullivan County live more than 30 minutes from a medical facility, making the county a designated healthcare desert.

Furthermore, Sullivan has a greater poverty rate than the state as a whole, and more than half of the county’s citizens are over 60. 

When combined, those elements make it difficult to guarantee that residents will receive the proper care to satisfy their medical requirements, Schumer said.

“We’re approaching something we would call the ‘Medicare Telehealth Cliff’,” explained Schumer. 

The Senator went on to say that the Federal government declared a public health emergency during the pandemic, which allowed providers to provide audio-only health care services and gave the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) flexibility to reimburse patients for telehealth-related costs.

However, he stressed that if Congress does nothing, that legislative power will end on December 31, 2024. 

This implies that fewer providers will be able to get paid for telehealth services, doctors may no longer be able to offer audio-only telehealth services and seniors may no longer be covered for telemedicine sessions.

 In an effort to make telehealth services a permanent and available choice for all Medicare beneficiaries, Schumer said he is currently working to add an extension in the year-end legislation.

Schumer said that it is important for Congress to extend these flexibilities for the approximately 18,000 seniors in Sullivan County.