Moab and Grand County · Seeing a doctor from home
Does Medicare Still Cover Telehealth From Home in Moab?
When the nearest cardiologist, endocrinologist or neurologist is two hours away in Grand Junction or nearly four in Salt Lake, a 20-minute video follow-up from the kitchen table saves a full day on the road. People in Moab have heard for three years that Medicare's home telehealth was about to end. Here is where it stands in October 2026, and what changes on the date that is now on the calendar.
The short answer
- Yes, through December 31, 2027. Medicare covers telehealth from your home, anywhere in the U.S.
- On January 1, 2028, most non-mental-health telehealth goes back to requiring you to be at a medical facility in a rural area, unless Congress acts again.
- Moab is better placed than a city. Grand County is outside any metropolitan area, so a local clinic or Moab Regional Hospital can still count as the place you take the visit from.
- Counseling and psychiatry from home stay covered permanently, with an in-person visit at least once a year.
The rule today, word for word
Medicare.gov's telehealth page now reads: "Through December 31, 2027, Medicare covers telehealth services that you can get from anywhere in the U.S., including your home." That covers video office visits, consultations, psychotherapy, diabetes self-management training, cognitive assessments and more. The cost is the same as in person in most cases: 20% of the Medicare-approved amount after the Part B deductible under Original Medicare.
The date matters because the rule has already lapsed twice. The home telehealth flexibilities stopped on October 1, 2025 during the government shutdown, came back, stopped again on January 30, 2026, and returned when the federal spending law was signed in February with the new end date. If a Moab doctor's office told you last winter that it couldn't bill your video visit, that is why.
What changes on January 1, 2028
CMS's telehealth FAQ, updated this month, is blunt about it: "Starting January 1, 2028, except for behavioral health services, beneficiaries will generally need to be in a medical facility and in a rural area to receive Medicare telehealth services." Here is what that means for the visits people in Grand County actually use:
| Type of visit | Through Dec. 31, 2027 | From Jan. 1, 2028 (current law) |
|---|---|---|
| Video visit with a doctor, from your living room | Covered | Not covered, except in an ACO or if your plan offers it |
| Video visit from a clinic or hospital room in Moab | Covered | Covered: Grand County counts as rural |
| Counseling or psychiatry from home | Covered | Covered, with an in-person visit every 12 months |
| Phone-only (no video) visit from home | Covered | Mental health only, and only if video isn't possible |
| Physical, occupational or speech therapy by video | Covered | Not covered as telehealth |
Sources: Medicare.gov telehealth page; CMS Medicare Telehealth FAQ (October 2026), answers 1, 2, 5, 6, 11 and 14; Social Security Act § 1834(m). "Current law" means unless Congress changes it before 2028.
Why Moab is in a better spot than Grand Junction
The 2028 rules go back to the old permanent law, Social Security Act § 1834(m). It pays for telehealth when the patient is at an approved "originating site": a doctor's office, a critical access hospital, a rural health clinic, a community health center, a hospital or a skilled nursing facility. That site must be in a rural shortage area or "in a county that is not included in a Metropolitan Statistical Area."
Grand County is not in a metropolitan area. Mesa County, home to Grand Junction, is. So under the 2028 rules, a retiree in the city of Grand Junction loses most video visits, at home and at the clinic, outside a mental health visit, an ACO or an Advantage plan that offers more. A Moab retiree could still sit in a Moab exam room and see the Salt Lake specialist on a screen, with Medicare paying. Moab Regional Hospital is a critical access hospital in CMS's hospital data, one of the site types the law names. Whether a given Moab clinic sets up those visits is its decision, so ask. HRSA's telehealth eligibility analyzer checks any street address against the rural rules.
It is not the same as staying home, and the drive to a clinic in town is still a drive. But it beats four hours each way to the Wasatch Front.
Do your specialists see you by video?
Tell us which doctors you see in Grand Junction or Salt Lake and how you see them. We will check how the Grand County plans we offer handle telehealth and out-of-area specialists for 2027, during Open Enrollment, October 15 to December 7. Free, by phone.
Book a free review →Counseling and mental health: permanent, with one new rule
Behavioral health is the exception. CMS: "The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 permanently removed geographic and place of service restrictions for behavioral health telehealth services." Therapy, counseling and psychiatry from home stay covered after 2027, for Moab and for everyone else.
The catch is an in-person visit requirement that starts after 2027. New patients need an in-person visit within six months before their first mental health telehealth visit. People who began telehealth care before January 1, 2028 count as established and need "at least one in-person visit every 12 months." If your counselor is in Grand Junction, plan one drive a year. Phone-only sessions from home also stay allowed for mental health, if video isn't possible for you or you don't agree to it. Our post on Medicare and mental health counseling covers the rest of that benefit.
Physical therapy by video ends
One change hits rural patients hard. CMS says that from January 1, 2028, "physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech-language pathologists, and audiologists can no longer furnish Medicare Telehealth services." Hospital staff also can no longer bill remote outpatient therapy, diabetes training or nutrition therapy delivered to your home. If a therapist has been coaching you through exercises by video after a knee replacement, that has to be done in person from 2028. The visit limits are in our post on how many physical therapy sessions Medicare covers.
Medicare Advantage and the ACO exception
Most of Grand County is on Original Medicare: 1,756 of 2,296 beneficiaries in July 2026, per CMS enrollment data. For them, the table above is the rule.
The other 540 have more room. Medicare.gov says Medicare Advantage plans "may offer more telehealth benefits than the basic coverage in Original Medicare," and that you "may be able to get some services from home, no matter where you live." Plans decide that year by year, so it is worth checking in each plan's Evidence of Coverage, the same way you would check a drug list. The Grand County 2027 plans are compared in our post on Moab plan changes for 2027.
There is one more door on Original Medicare. CMS notes that doctors in certain Accountable Care Organizations can bill telehealth "without geographic restriction and in the beneficiary's home" for patients assigned to them. If your doctor's group is in one, ask whether it applies to you.
What to do now
- Use it through 2027. If a specialist offers video follow-ups, take them and save the drive.
- Ask your specialists about 2028. Will they keep offering video, and can you take it from a Moab clinic?
- If you see a counselor by video, schedule one in-person visit in 2027 so the 12-month clock is easy to meet.
- At Open Enrollment, treat telehealth as a line item when you compare plans, next to doctors and drugs.
- Watch for news in late 2027. Congress has extended these rules every time so far, but nothing is automatic.
I have been helping people with Medicare for more than 22 years, and for Moab the drive is a bigger part of the decision than for almost anyone else in our area. The rules for the next 14 months are settled. It is a good time to plan the year after.
How we know all this: the Medicare On Main Data Desk frames every article with public data. Here that means Medicare.gov's telehealth page; CMS's Medicare Telehealth FAQ updated in October 2026; Social Security Act § 1834(m); CMS's Hospital General Information file; and CMS's Medicare Monthly Enrollment data for Grand County, July 2026, all read October 23, 2026. Hospital names are factual reporting, not endorsement. Medicare On Main is not affiliated with Moab Regional Hospital or any provider named here. This is education, not advice. Confirm coverage with your doctor, your plan or Medicare.gov, and compare plans with a licensed agent. We take no payment from any carrier to feature a plan.
Frequently asked questions
Is Medicare telehealth extended through 2027?
Yes. Medicare.gov says: "Through December 31, 2027, Medicare covers telehealth services that you can get from anywhere in the U.S., including your home." The extension came in the federal spending law signed in February 2026, after the home telehealth rules had lapsed twice. Congress could extend them again before the deadline, but nothing has passed yet.
What happens to Medicare telehealth in 2028?
CMS's telehealth FAQ says that starting January 1, 2028, "except for behavioral health services, beneficiaries will generally need to be in a medical facility and in a rural area to receive Medicare telehealth services." Physical, occupational and speech therapists and audiologists can no longer bill telehealth. Mental health visits from home continue, with in-person visit requirements.
How much does a Medicare telehealth visit cost?
The same as an office visit, in most cases. Under Original Medicare, Medicare.gov says you pay 20% of the Medicare-approved amount after the Part B deductible, and "for most telehealth services, you'll pay the same amount that you would if you got the services in person." A Medigap plan that covers your Part B coinsurance covers it here too. Medicare Advantage plans set their own copays.
Can I do a telehealth visit with my Salt Lake or Grand Junction specialist from Moab?
Through 2027, yes, from home, as long as the specialist offers it and it is a covered service. From 2028, unless Congress acts, you would generally need to be at a medical facility for non-mental-health visits. Because Grand County is not in a metropolitan area, a Moab clinic or Moab Regional Hospital can qualify as that site, if it offers the setup.
Does Medicare Advantage cover more telehealth than Original Medicare?
It can. Medicare.gov notes that Medicare Advantage plans "may offer more telehealth benefits than the basic coverage in Original Medicare," including some services from home "no matter where you live." What a given plan covers is in its Evidence of Coverage, and it can change from year to year.
Sources
- Medicare.gov — Telehealth: the December 31, 2027 date, costs and the Medicare Advantage note.
- CMS — Medicare Telehealth FAQ (updated October 2026, PDF): the 2028 rules for location, therapists, audio-only, mental health and ACOs.
- Social Security Act § 1834(m), 42 U.S.C. § 1395m(m) — telehealth originating sites (Cornell LII): originating sites and the non-metropolitan county rule.
- HRSA — Medicare Telehealth Payment Eligibility Analyzer: check whether an address counts as rural.
- CMS — Hospital General Information (Provider Data Catalog): Moab Regional Hospital's critical access status.
- CMS — Medicare Monthly Enrollment, Grand County, Utah, July 2026 (data.cms.gov): 2,296 beneficiaries; 1,756 in Original Medicare.
