The shutdown leaves telehealth for Medicare patients in limbo
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A few weeks ago, when Vicki Stearn, 68, tried to schedule a virtual visit with her doctor, she was told Medicare — at least temporarily — stopped paying for telehealth appointments when the government shut down. So Stearn was offered a choice: Make an in-person appointment, or pay out of pocket for telehealth.
"So I said, 'OK, well, when can I get an in-person appointment?' And it wouldn't have been until December."
So Stearn, who lives in Bethesda, Maryland, paid — hoping that when the government reopens, she'll be reimbursed. But Stearn, who serves on the patient advisory council for Johns Hopkins Medicine, says the loss of
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