December 7, Washington, D.C. --- Both chambers of Congress passed the Early Hearing Detection and Intervention Act of 2022, sending the final bill to President Biden for signature. The Senate passed its version (S. 4052) on December 2nd and the House passed the same version on December 6th with a vote of 408-17. The bill reauthorization includes a requirement for a study by the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) on how information is collected and provided on state EHDI websites and other formats, and ways to address historically underserved communities
ACI Alliance conducted a review of the 50 state websites to assess the provision of information needed by parents to make informed choices including technology and communication options. Of the sites examined, only 26% were found to provide comprehensive information as intended by the federal government. This finding was used to urge for the inclusion of the GAO study in the bill.
ACI Alliance advocacy networks actively engaged with Members of Congress on encouraging passage. Parents, consumers, clinicians across the spectrum of care and educators sent Action Alerts to their Representatives and Senators to express support and share stories about the critical support provided by EHDI. Our State Champions also engaged directly with congressional staff during our Virtual Hill Day in May.
To our disappointment, the legislation caps the funding authorization for the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) at $10,760,000 and $17,818,000 respectively. EHDI has historically been underfunded and ACI Alliance will continue to work with other organizations to address this issue.
ACI Alliance is a not-for-profit membership organization created with the purpose of eliminating barriers to cochlear implantation by sponsoring research, driving heightened awareness and advocating for improved access to cochlear implants for patients of all ages across the US.
Visit our website for more information on ACI Alliance advocacy initiatives and background on EHDI.
