As of October 1, Medicare's pandemic-era Telehealth service waivers expired, meaning patients who've been able to receive medical care from home have to return to in-person appointments.
"It's hard for him to walk, and it's hard for him to get out of the house," said Maria Pascoal, Cayucos resident.
"It was easier when I was able to call the doctor and have a conversation once a month or once every couple of weeks with her, and she could ask me questions and see over the phone. I mean, I thought then it was a pain in the butt, trying to connect, you know. But you know, but I didn't have to drive to another city where, you know, I don't live," said Adam Suneson.
Suneson drove from Oceano to see his doctor in person at the Pain Management Specialists office in San Luis Obispo.
He and many other patients filled the waiting room and hallway, waiting to be seen.
KSBY News reached out to Pain Management Specialists for comment but did not hear back.
"The doctor came up and asked me if I was in any pain. I said yes, he said more than usual? And I said, actually, yes, because after this experience," Suneson said.
NBC News reports more than 6.7 million older adults received care through Telehealth services last year.
Now that the waivers have expired, Dr. Rene Bravo with the California Medical Association says the rules will return to pre-pandemic ways.
"There still are mental health provisions there that allow people to, to access that. But other things, you know, like regular routine primary care or urgent care issues such as visits for infections, hypertension, the things that usually those are now limited. You have to go back to the office, so to speak," Dr. Bravo said.
He says it's a waiting game when it comes to reestablishing the waivers.
"The problem with the shutdown is, is that many of these waivers expired, and we're trying to get them reinstated with the spending bills that are coming up, and so it's affected that fairly significantly," he said.
