So you'd like to see a therapist or a psychiatrist by video from the couch, and you're not sure Medicare still pays for that after the pandemic rules changed. The short answer is yes. Medicare covers telehealth for mental and behavioral health, including sessions you have from your own home, and that home coverage isn't the temporary kind that's winding down. There's one rule about an in-person visit to plan around, and we'll walk through it.
In This Guide
- Key Takeaways
- Does Medicare Cover Telehealth for Mental Health From Home?
- The In-Person Visit Rule, and the Exception
- Does Medicare Cover Mental Health Telehealth Delivered by Phone?
- What It Costs
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Learn More
Does Medicare Cover Telehealth for Mental Health From Home?
Yes. Under Part B, Medicare covers telehealth for mental and behavioral health, and that includes appointments you have sitting in your own living room.Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. (n.d.). Telehealth Insurance Coverage. medicare.gov. Retrieved Jul 17, 2026, from https://www.medicare.gov/coverage/telehealth Telehealth here means the same kinds of visits you'd normally do in person, including psychotherapy and consultations, done over a video connection instead.
Here's why the "does it still work from home?" worry is so common, and why you can set it aside. During the pandemic, Medicare temporarily let people do almost any telehealth visit from home. That broad flexibility is scheduled to run only through December 31, 2027.Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. (n.d.). Telehealth Insurance Coverage. medicare.gov. Retrieved Jul 17, 2026, from https://www.medicare.gov/coverage/telehealth Mental and behavioral health is different: your home is written into Medicare's standing regulation (Section 410.78 of the federal Medicare rules) as an approved place to receive care for a mental health condition.Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. (n.d.). Telehealth Insurance Coverage. medicare.gov. Retrieved Jul 17, 2026, from https://www.medicare.gov/coverage/telehealth So the mental-health home benefit rests on its own footing, separate from the temporary flexibility that's set to expire.
The practical upshot: you don't have to drive to a clinic or a special "originating site" to use your mental-health telehealth benefit. Home counts.
The In-Person Visit Rule, and the Exception
This is the piece worth planning around. For mental-health telehealth, Medicare generally wants an in-person appointment on the calendar too.Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. (n.d.). Telehealth Insurance Coverage. medicare.gov. Retrieved Jul 17, 2026, from https://www.medicare.gov/coverage/telehealth
Two timing rules apply. You generally need a non-telehealth, in-person visit with the same practitioner within the 6 months before your first mental-health telehealth session. After that, you need an in-person visit with that practitioner at least once every 12 months.Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. (n.d.). Telehealth Insurance Coverage. medicare.gov. Retrieved Jul 17, 2026, from https://www.medicare.gov/coverage/telehealth So the video visits can be your regular rhythm, but an in-person touchpoint has to happen roughly once a year to keep the telehealth covered.
There's a real exception. For a given 12-month stretch, you and your practitioner can agree that the risks and burdens of an in-person visit outweigh the benefits, and skip it.Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. (n.d.). Telehealth Insurance Coverage. medicare.gov. Retrieved Jul 17, 2026, from https://www.medicare.gov/coverage/telehealth That agreement is a clinical judgment between the two of you, so if getting to the office is genuinely hard on you, it's worth raising directly with your provider rather than assuming the visit is mandatory.
If you're booking your first telehealth session, the cleanest move is to schedule that in-person visit first, or confirm you've seen the same practitioner in person within the last 6 months. It saves you a coverage headache later.
Does Medicare Cover Mental Health Telehealth Delivered by Phone?
Sometimes video just isn't workable, and Medicare accounts for that. For a mental-health telehealth service you receive at home, audio-only communication (an ordinary phone call, no camera) is allowed when you aren't able to use video technology, or you don't consent to it.Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. (n.d.). Telehealth Insurance Coverage. medicare.gov. Retrieved Jul 17, 2026, from https://www.medicare.gov/coverage/telehealth
That matters if you don't have a smartphone or reliable internet, or you're just not comfortable on camera. You can still get a covered mental-health session over the phone. Your provider's office can tell you how they handle audio-only appointments and note the reason in your record.
What It Costs
Mental-health telehealth is billed like your other Part B outpatient care. After you meet the annual Part B deductible, which is $283 in 2026, you generally pay 20% of the Medicare-approved amount for the visit.Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. (n.d.). Telehealth Insurance Coverage. medicare.gov. Retrieved Jul 17, 2026, from https://www.medicare.gov/coverage/telehealth,Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. (2026). 2026 Medicare Parts A & B Premiums and Deductibles. cms.gov. Retrieved Jun 22, 2026, from https://www.cms.gov/newsroom/fact-sheets/2026-medicare-parts-b-premiums-deductibles Medicare picks up the other 80%.
A couple of things soften that 20%. If you have a Medigap (Medicare Supplement) policy, it may cover some or all of that coinsurance, and if you have full Medicaid, that can help with cost sharing too. And once you've met the Part B deductible for the year on any covered service, you don't pay it again for the next telehealth visit.Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. (2026). 2026 Medicare Parts A & B Premiums and Deductibles. cms.gov. Retrieved Jun 22, 2026, from https://www.cms.gov/newsroom/fact-sheets/2026-medicare-parts-b-premiums-deductibles
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Medicare's telehealth-for-mental-health benefit going to expire in 2027?
No, and you don't need to do anything before 2027 to keep it. The 2027 date applies to Medicare's broader telehealth-from-home flexibility, the kind used for non-mental-health telehealth. Your mental-health home benefit sits in permanent Medicare regulation, so it stays in place regardless of what happens to that broader flexibility. If you also use telehealth from home for other, non-mental-health conditions, that's the piece worth watching as 2027 gets closer.
What happens if I skip the yearly in-person visit?
The in-person visit is generally a condition of continued coverage for mental-health telehealth, so missing it can put your covered visits at risk. The exception is when you and your practitioner agree, for that 12-month period, that the risks and burdens of coming in outweigh the benefits. If travel is hard for you, talk to your provider about that instead of just skipping the visit.
Can I do mental-health telehealth if I only have a landline?
For a home mental-health session, Medicare allows audio-only (phone) contact when you can't use video or don't consent to it. A landline call can qualify on that basis. Check with your provider's office on how they document and bill it.
Does a Medicare Advantage plan cover mental-health telehealth?
Medicare Advantage plans have to cover at least what Original Medicare covers, and many add their own telehealth benefits on top.Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. (n.d.). Compare Original Medicare & Medicare Advantage - Medicare.gov. medicare.gov. Retrieved Jun 23, 2026, from https://www.medicare.gov/basics/get-started-with-medicare/get-more-coverage/your-coverage-options/compare-original-medicare-medicare-advantage Your specific costs, provider network, and any extra telehealth features depend on the plan, so check your plan's materials or call the number on your card.
Learn More
Find personalized help figuring out how to start Medicare-covered mental health telehealth at brevy.com.
The information on Brevy.com is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional legal, financial, or medical advice. Rules vary by state and program and change frequently. Always verify with the relevant agency or a qualified professional. Brevy is not a law firm, financial advisor, or healthcare provider.