Support the Extension of Telehealth Flexibilities in Medicare

The Hydrocephalus Association has joined dozens of other patient groups urging Congress to extend Medicare telehealth flexibilities before they expire on March 31, 2025.
Extending access to care through telehealth opportunities would offer significant benefits to the hydrocephalus community. Please take a moment to ask your elected officials to support continued access to virtual care.

Extending access to care through telehealth opportunities would offer significant benefits to the hydrocephalus community. Please take a moment to ask your elected officials to cosponsor this legislation.

Recipients

Your Senators
Your Representative

Contact

*Required fields

* Title:

* First Name:

* Last Name:

* Your Email:

* Address 1:

Address 2:

* City:

* State / Province:

* ZIP / Postal Code:

* Phone Number:

*1.

Question - Required - What is your connection to the Hydrocephalus Association?

Question - Not Required - Select the topic(s) that you care most about:

	Email > HA Advocacy Interest
	eNewsletters > HA Advocacy eNewsletter
	eNewsletters > HA Pathways eNewsletter

Yes, I would like to receive periodic updates and communications from Hydrocephalus Association.

Remember me. What's this?

Message

* Subject:

Dear [Decision Maker],

I write today to urge you to urge you to help extend telehealth flexibilities within Medicare. The continuing resolution (CR) passed by Congress in December, 2024 temporarily extended Medicare telehealth flexibilities until March 31st, 2025. This extension allows eligible Medicare providers to continue furnishing telehealth services, enables federally qualified health centers and rural health clinics to provide virtual care, and delays in-person visit requirements, among other provisions.

Hydrocephalus, an abnormal accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid in the brain, is a life-threatening condition that affects approximately 1 million Americans. Anyone can develop hydrocephalus as a result of a traumatic brain injury, including premature babies, active duty service members, and veterans. Individuals can also be born with it, develop it as part of the aging process, or acquire it as a result of infections or brain tumors, among other causes.

* Personalize your message

The only treatment for this condition is brain surgery, in which a shunt is placed in the brain to drain fluid to another part of the body. Because shunts have high failure rates, the nature of this condition often requires unexpected and immediate access to medical care. Unfortunately, many patients must go to the emergency room to have their symptoms evaluated. For those patients who drive more than an hour to reach their hospital, telehealth appointments could eliminate such long and costly trips to the emergency room when there is a suspected problem. It could also allow for routine care visits for these families.

Hydrocephalus is a complex condition. For families that are seeking second opinions or consultations, telehealth allows access to major medical and research facilities with the leading U.S. neurological experts. While this benefits hydrocephalus patients across the age, for seniors in particular, this could eliminate the high rate of misdiagnoses, allowing early treatment and better long-term outcomes.

If Congress fails to act to extend Medicare telehealth access, millions of patients will lose access to care they have become accustomed to since 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic has brought telehealth approaches to the forefront as an effective means for patients to continue to have access to needed care. On behalf of myself and others in the hydrocephalus community, I urge you to protect Medicare telehealth access to ensure that hydrocephalus patients retain access to care proven to be effective.

Sincerely,
[Your Name]
[Your Address]
[City, State ZIP]
[Your Email]