The Medicare telehealth waivers that expired on January 30, 2026, have now been formally extended. Congress passed HR 7148, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026, and the bill was signed into law, retroactively covering the brief lapse period. This legislation extends key Medicare telehealth flexibilities through December 31, 2027, restoring continuity to coverage and avoiding a return to permanent, pre-pandemic Medicare telehealth policy.

These waivers have been in place since 2020 when the COVID-19 public health emergency began, and have since been extended repeatedly, often on a short-term basis. This longer-term, an almost two-year extension, provides greater stability and reduces near-term uncertainty for providers and patients relying on telehealth services.

The following waivers are now extended:

• Waiver of location requirements (both geographic and type of site).
• Continued eligibility of Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) and Rural Health Clinics (RHCs) as telehealth providers.
• Delay of the prior in-person visit requirement for mental health services when certain permanent telehealth policy requirements are not met.
• Delay of the prior in-person visit requirement for mental health services delivered via telecommunications technology for FQHCs and RHCs.
• Continued allowance of audio-only telehealth services.

From Becker’s Hospital Review

The National Academy for State Health Policy (NASHP) is excited to announce a new Increasing Access to Primary Care in Rural Communities Learning Network (Rural Primary Care Learning Network) launching in February 2026. This new learning network will provide a forum for state officials to share promising state approaches for strengthening primary care systems, with a focus on the unique challenges facing rural communities.  

Building on many of the strategies outlined in NASHP’s Implementing High-Quality Primary Care: A Policy Menu for States report, the Rural Primary Care Learning Network will facilitate state-to-state learning and conversations around how to strengthen primary care systems and reduce barriers to accessing primary care services, particularly in rural and underserved areas.

Discussions will include how to navigate challenges and opportunities in the current fiscal and policy environment, such as implementation of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), or H.R. 1, as well as how to leverage new resources and momentum for primary care under the CMS Rural Health Transformation program.

Other key strategies and topics will include:

• Expanding, strengthening, and retaining the rural primary care workforce
• Strengthening rural primary care infrastructure, including Community Health Centers, Rural Health Clinics, local networks, and other primary care providers
• Aligning funding and reimbursement strategies to increase access to whole person care
• Investing in technology, data, and other infrastructure to increase access to care
• Reducing administrative and regulatory burdens while preserving program integrity

NASHP’s Rural Primary Care Learning Network is open to all state officials interested in primary care and rural health, including officials from state health and human service agencies, Medicaid programs, state primary care offices, offices of rural health, Medicaid agencies, and state officials engaged in state primary care strategy and policy.

Experts from the National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health (NOSORH) and Milbank Memorial Fund will also provide insights and support for the network.

To learn more or to be added to the network list, please fill out this interest form.

In case you missed it, the Rural Health Information Hub archived the transcript, audio recording, and slide presentation from the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy’s (FORHP) hour-long webinar on the ways the federal government defines rural areas.  Access the webinar at this link: ICYMI: Federal Rural Definitions.

The Health Resources and Services administration’s (HRSA) Bureau of Health Workforce is updating criteria for identifying Maternity Care Target Areas (MCTA) and seeks comments from the public about how the Social Vulnerability Index is used to score this designation for the National Health Service Corps.

Comments are due by March 30.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is requesting public comments on an advance notice of proposed rulemaking focused on strengthening hospital supply chains for personal protective equipment (PPE) and essential medicines. Potential future approaches to support domestic procurement of PPE and essential medicines include a “Secure American Medical Supplies” friendly hospital designation, new payment policies, and a new structural quality measure that would be part of the Hospital Inpatient Quality Reporting Program.

Hospital and health system leaders are encouraged to submit comments by March 30 through Regulations.gov.

See Input Requested on Hospital Supply Chain Policy

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) issued a Final Rule updating the 2017 Act.  The amendment allows for a new registration category for emergency medical services agencies that handle controlled substances and sets new requirements for delivery, storage, and record-keeping related to their handling of controlled substances.  See DEA Finalizes Rule for EMS Under the Protecting Patient Access to Emergency Medications Act.