Why It Matters
Roman Health Ventures Inc. is lobbying on legislative efforts to permanently extend Medicare telehealth flexibilities, after the temporary flexibilities were set to expire on Sept. 30, 2025, and the American Medical Association reported by Nov. 7 that the waiver had ended. The third-quarter 2026 in-house filing by Roman Health Ventures Inc. also lists consumer privacy, prescription drug pricing, and transparency in direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertising among its specific issues.
By the Numbers
The in-house third-quarter 2026 report lists $130,000 in lobbying expenditures. That is up $10,000 from the $120,000 in-house total in the second quarter of 2026 and down $30,000 from $160,000 in the first quarter of 2026.
Roman Health Ventures also retained Cornerstone Government Affairs Inc., which reported $70,000 for the same period, bringing the combined third-quarter 2026 total to $200,000. Across the four quarters on record, the company's total lobbying expense is $590,000.
The in-house filing lists one lobbyist:
- Carrianna Kuruvilla, senior director, government and external affairs; no prior congressional staff experience listed.
The Cornerstone filing lists Andy Flick, Elizabeth Griffin, and Jimmy Peacock; the roster is unchanged from the second quarter of 2026 across both registrants.
Broader Context
Congress included a short-term extension of telehealth provisions through Sept. 30, 2025, in a spending bill passed in March 2025, but that extension did not prevent the flexibilities from lapsing after that date.
The CONNECT for Health Act of 2025 (H.R. 4206/S. 1261) would permanently remove Medicare's geographic and originating-site restrictions and allow covered telehealth at home; both versions remain at committee referral. The American Medical Association backed the bill, saying it would expand access for urban, suburban and rural patients and citing its permanent repeal of a requirement for an in-person visit after an initial telemental-health visit.
The Telehealth Modernization Act (H.R. 5081/S. 2709), sponsored in the House by Rep. Buddy Carter (R-GA), would extend the Acute Hospital Care at Home program; both versions remain at the introduced stage. The AMA strongly supported the act, citing provisions for virtual diabetes-prevention programs and audio-only telehealth for patients without internet access.
In August 2025, the Alliance for Connected Care sent a letter to congressional leaders urging a permanent extension of Medicare telehealth access or, at minimum, a two-year extension. Its signatories included patient groups, hospitals, medical societies, behavioral-health providers, community health centers and digital-health companies, and the letter argued that telehealth preserves access for patients facing barriers to in-person care and would not add federal costs.
Competitive Landscape
Organizations also lobbying S. 1261 include Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medical Association Inc., Included Health Inc., National Alliance for Care at Home, American College of Cardiology, and California Medical Association.
Organizations also lobbying H.R. 5081 include American Clinical Neurophysiology Society, National Alliance for Care at Home, American College of Cardiology, VITAS Healthcare Corp., and Advanced Care at Home Coalition.
The Bottom Line
Roman Health Ventures has maintained the same two-registrant structure and in-house lobbyist across all three quarters on record in 2026, with combined spending holding near $200,000 each quarter. All four telehealth bills the filing names remain at the introduced stage with no committee action scheduled; if Congress does not act before the 119th Congress adjourns, the bills lapse and would need to be reintroduced. Congress.gov lists referral to the Senate Finance Committee as the latest action on S. 229, the DTC Act of 2025.
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