Medicare Will Cover Some Eligible Phone Visits Through 2027: What the Rules Require

24/7 Wall St. reported on October 6, 2026 that Original Medicare can continue to cover eligible audio-only telehealth delivered to patients at home through December 31, 2027 ^[1]. The article, by Gerelyn Terzo, attributes the extension to the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026, and cites Medicare.gov as confirming that telehealth can be received from anywhere in the U.S., including the home, through that date ^[1]. It focuses on patients whose internet cannot sustain a video visit, stating that nearly 12 million people live where broadband is unavailable or too slow and that 88% of them are in rural areas ^[1].

Three conditions a phone visit must meet

The report frames coverage narrowly, noting that "Medicare sets a firm line around which calls count," and states that a covered phone visit must satisfy all three of the conditions below ^[1].

• The service appears on Medicare's covered telehealth list; the examples given are advance care planning, cognitive assessments, depression screenings, diabetes self-management training, medical nutrition therapy and outpatient psychotherapy ^[1].
• The practitioner is eligible and capable of offering video, and audio-only is used because the patient cannot use video or does not consent to it ^[1].
• The call is a real-time, two-way visit ^[1].

The article also describes virtual check-ins, which Medicare defines as brief, real-time communications usually lasting 10 minutes or less ^[1]. It notes that billing offices flag audio-only visits with Modifier 93, a claim code telling Medicare that the service was delivered through real-time, audio-only technology ^[1].

Scheduling, documentation and cost as reported

The article's advice to patients centers on scheduling: ask the office in advance whether the visit type is on Medicare's telehealth list and whether the provider will see them by phone, then book it as a phone visit from the start ^[1].

It also advises patients to tell the provider that they cannot hold a stable video call at home, which it says helps document why the visit took place by phone, while stressing that the service must still meet Medicare's audio-only rules ^[1].

Cost sharing, meaning the portion of the bill the patient pays, does not fall for a phone visit, according to the report ^[1]. The article cites Medicare as stating that for most telehealth services patients pay the same amount as in person, and lists 2026 Part B figures of a $202.90 standard monthly premium, a $283 annual deductible and 20% coinsurance of the Medicare-approved amount after the deductible ^[1].

The reported 2028 split between mental health and other care

The report describes an uneven landscape once the broader flexibilities expire ^[1]. Starting in 2028, it states, Medicare can still cover audio-only behavioral and mental health telehealth for patients at home when the provider can offer video but the patient cannot use it or does not consent to it ^[1]. The group it identifies as more exposed is patients using phone visits for physical conditions, including diabetes education, nutrition counseling, cognitive checks and routine follow-ups ^[1].

What to watch next

• Congressional action before the December 31, 2027 deadline; the article tells Original Medicare enrollees to confirm in the fall of 2027 whether Congress extended home telehealth ^[1].
• Lapse risk in the interim, given the report that many earlier telehealth restrictions briefly returned during the 2025 government shutdown before Congress restored coverage retroactively ^[1].
• Medicare Advantage plan terms, since the article notes these plans set their own telehealth benefits that may go beyond Original Medicare and advises enrollees to read the telehealth section of their 2027 plan documents during open enrollment ^[1].

The article is a consumer personal finance piece written for beneficiaries; its provider-side detail is limited to practitioner eligibility, video capability and the Modifier 93 flag, and it offers examples from Medicare's telehealth services list rather than the full list ^[1].