(Washington, DC-April 20, 2007) The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) applauds Congressman Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) for introducing H.R. 1912, the Medicare Hearing Enhancement and Auditory Rehabilitation (HEAR) Act of 2007.
H.R. 1912 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," according to Dennis Burrows, Ph.D., Executive Director of the Constance Brown Hearing Centers in Kalamazoo, MI and ASHA Executive Board member.
"With over 31 million Americans who are currently deaf or hard of hearing and the impending influx of baby boomers who will be eligible for the Medicare program by the end of this decade," Dr. Burrows notes, "our nation must begin to work through equitable coverage policies for hearing aids and auditory rehabilitation services in a concerted manner by both public and private health plans."
According to the National Institutes of Health, hearing loss is one of the most common conditions affecting older adults. One in three people older than 60 and half of those older than 85 have hearing loss. Hearing problems can make it hard to understand and follow a doctor's advice, to respond to warnings, and to hear doorbells and alarms. They can also make it hard to enjoy talking with friends and family. All of this can be frustrating, embarrassing, and even dangerous.
Medicare is specifically prohibited from paying for hearing aids by federal law. H.R. 1912 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.
H.R. 1912 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. According to Dr. Burrows: "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. Without auditory rehabilitation services, consumers will not get the full benefit 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," ASHA President Noma Anderson, Ph.D. observes. "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."
ASHA is the national professional, scientific, and credentialing association for more than 127,000 audiologists, speech-language pathologists, and speech, language, and hearing scientists. Audiologists specialize in preventing and assessing hearing disorders as well as providing audiologic treatment with hearing aids and cochlear implants.
