On Wednesday, Oct. 1, patients across America lost access to care they had the day before not because medicine changed, but because politics did.

When the government shut down, so did federal telemedicine flexibilities tied to pandemic-era waivers. These waivers allowed Medicare and many private insurers to reimburse virtual visits at parity with in-person care, across settings and sometimes across state lines. With the waivers lapsed, reimbursement is uncertain and in some cases discontinued.

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