SULLIVAN COUNTY, NY — Without congressional action, Medicare’s telehealth program might no longer be available to Sullivan County residents in as little as two months. Sullivan’s seniors, of which 17,000 utilize Medicare, could lose coverage for telehealth appointments, doctors could no longer provide audio-only telehealth services and fewer providers would be able to receive reimbursement for telehealth services.

On November 11, U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer was at Sun River Health in Monticello to launch his push, which would include an extension in the end-of-year legislation and try to make telehealth services a permanent and accessible option for all on Medicare.

Sullivan County has approximately 17,000 seniors on Medicare, approximately 20 percent of Sullivan County’s population, according to Schumer’s office. Sun River Health, a health center with locations throughout the Hudson Valley including Monticello, treats approximately 10,000 patients who are on Medicare via telehealth and hybrid care. 

In a county with already limited health care providers, especially those that accept Medicare and Medicaid, the cut would add strain to Sullivan County’s already overburdened health care system. According to Schumer’s office, the end of Medicare telehealth coverage would jeopardize the care plans of Sun River patients and require health care professionals to make drastic changes to ensure that they continue to receive the standard of care they have become accustomed to.

A release from Schumer’s office said, “Schumer indicated that Sullivan County is a recognized healthcare desert, and most residents live over 30 minutes away from a healthcare center. In addition, over half of the county’s residents are over the age of 60, and the poverty rate is higher in Sullivan than the state average. Compounded, those factors create challenges in ensuring that residents can receive adequate care to meet their healthcare needs.”

Schumer said, “It is critical we avoid the upcoming telehealth cliff for Hudson Valley seniors, which is especially important to rural areas in Sullivan County, to maintain this vital lifeline for accessible health care.”

Long driving times to urgent and critical care were among the metrics that landed several Sullivan County towns on the state’s Disadvantaged Communities (DAC) list.

Current NY-19 Congressional representative Marc Molinaro told the River Reporter, “Too many in Sullivan County lack healthcare access and telehealth services offer residents a bridge to access care. I’ve made this a priority and I appreciate Senator Schumer putting his weight behind our push to extend coverage.”

Congressional candidate-elect in District 19 Josh Riley told the River Reporter, “We should make it easier for seniors in rural communities to access the health care they need, not harder. Congress needs to extend this program, and I’ll support legislation to make it permanent once I get there.”

Sullivan County legislature chair Nadia Rajsz stood with Schumer at Sun River Health. “As a health care professional and a caregiver, I know all too well how incredibly challenging it can be to find providers, particularly specialists, within even an hour’s drive of Sullivan County,” she added, “It is therefore crucial—a matter of life and death—that telehealth remains an option for our residents. I thank Sen. Schumer for always standing up for Sullivan County and the rest of rural upstate New York.” 

Editor's note: This article has been updated as of 1:55 PM on Nov 19 to include a comment from Marc Molinaro that was not received before initial publication.