HEAR Act Introduced to Eliminate Exclusion of Hearing
Aids from Medicare
Editor: Most insurance policies don't cover hearing aids. For that
matter, neither does Medicare. But there's a bill before Congress that
would require Medicare to start paying for hearing aids. Here's the
story from NVRC. You don't need permission to share this story, but
please be sure to credit NVRC.
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June 2007
Congressman Gus M. Bilirakis (R-Palm Harbor, Florida) has introduced
HR 1912, the Medicare Hearing Enhancement and Auditor Rehabilitation
(HEAR) Act, which is designed to help seniors better afford hearing aids
and other auditory rehabilitation services.
According to the National Institutes of Health (HIA), hearing loss is
one of the most common conditions affecting older adults. One in three
people over 60 and half of those over 85 have hearing loss. Medicare is
specifically prohibited from paying for hearing aids by federal law.
HR1912 would repeal this prohibition and direct the Secretary of Health
and Human Services to develop coverage policies based on other federal
hearing aid programs, such as those currently offered by the Department
of Veterans Affairs and Department of Defense through its Tricare health
program. HR1912 also would provide Medicare coverage for auditory
rehabilitation services so that Medicare beneficiaries can receive
needed ongoing care to optimize their hearing with the use of a hearing
aid.
"We must begin a national discussion on how to help seniors
afflicted with hearing loss or impairment, especially with more and more
baby-boomers suffering from this condition becoming
Medicare-eligible," said Bilirakis. "As an American with
hearing loss, I understand all too well the frustrations associated with
this condition. It makes good sense to help those who suffer from
hearing impairment better afford devices, treatments, and services that
will improve their quality of life."
The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA), Rockville,
Md, applauded Representative Bilirakis for introducing HEAR, stating
that HR1912 would provide Medicare coverage for hearing aids and
auditory rehabilitation services for seniors with hearing loss.
"Congressman Bilirakis has demonstrated vital leadership in
advancing this important discussion on Medicare's role in hearing loss
among American seniors," says Dennis Burrows, PhD, executive
director of the Constance Brown Hearing Centers in Kalamazoo, Mich, and
ASHA Executive Board member. "The Medicare HEAR legislation
recognizes the critical value of providing auditory rehabilitation
services from qualified professionals, such as audiologists, in addition
to the hearing aids themselves," says Burrows. "Without
auditory rehabilitation services, consumers will not get the full
benefit of their hearing aids."
"ASHA has a leading, abiding, and very active commitment to
making help like that addressed by the Medicare HEAR Act accessible to
the public," says ASHA President Noma Anderson, PhD. "We
applaud Congressman Bilirakis for introducing such important
legislation. ASHA looks forward to working closely with him on making
hearing aids and auditory rehabilitation services more available to our
seniors who need them."
The bill will encounter the challenge of being introduced in a time
when fiscal restraint is a buzzword in Washington. Additionally, it has
been pointed out by several hearing care and industry experts that
Medicare coverage would almost certainly require fundamental changes in
the way in which most dispensing audiologists conduct business and bill
for their products and services. To see the original legislation, visit:
http://www.govtrack.us/congress/billtext.xpd?bill=h110-1912.
