Telehealth for Medicare is going to expire at the end of December 2024. Private insurers tend to follow Medicare on things like this. So this can and will affect everyone’s ability to get telehealth services.

It will force disabled, terminal, high risk, immunocompromised, into in-person visits for things that absolutely don’t require in-person exams. They will force terminally ill and high risk and immunocompromised people to get mental health services in person. This will shut out many rural patients who have trouble traveling for appointments, and need telehealth access.

This will also lead to patients with highly contagious diseases such as covid to be forced to go into the doctors offices at the same time you’re there for preventative or chronic illness care. Bonus, most of these healthcare providers do not require masks at all, and may never do so again for many years as we slide backwards, no matter how bad things get, or how many serious diseases circulate. The best hope for many people is protecting access to telehealth.

✏️ My letter to reps (congressperson and us senators):

Telehealth services via Medicare must not expire. Telehealth service should be a permanent option for all patients, and covered by all insurance, including Medicare and Medicaid.

Please feel free to repurpose for your own letters to reps.

The Silence Descends - But We Are Still Here

Amazingly, we have arrived at the last day of in-person teaching in this unprecedented fall semester.  “Unprecedented” -- a word for 2020, like “uncertain, Zoom, remote, hybrid, muted!” -- that has taken new significance over the past nine months.  It’s been a challenge, but we made it together.  While you’re away, students, know how grateful we are that you took seriously the need to follow all protocols regarding COVID-19, to keep yourself and others in our community safe and healthy.  We will miss you!  Be well.

The saran-wrapped chairs, the plants, the empty carrels, the silent computers and plexiglass barriers await.  Meanwhile, library staff are still working!  Please contact us if you have questions.

Helpful information while you’re away: 

The Remote Access page 

“How Do I” tutorial videos

Home office at the children bedroom

During the quarantine we are four people all the time together in the living room. It’s hard to concentrate with the kids running around and seeking for attention. It’s impossible to have a Skype talk with your colleagues. 

Today morning I was giving a remote seminar to my fellow scientists. In order to have a quiet place to talk for 1.5 hours we moved the working desk form our living room to the children bedroom. And we left it like that. In the next 5 weeks or so, we will take shifts with my husband who uses our “office”.