The Academy of Doctors of Audiology is pleased to announce that the David and Carol Myers Foundation has formally endorsed H.R. 5304, the Audiology Patient Choice Act so that older Americans will have improved access to high-quality, efficient audiologic care.
“The Audiology Patient Choice Act aligns with the work that the David and Carol Myers Foundation has accomplished in advancing the use of hearing loops and transforming the way America provides assistive listening for people with hearing loss", said ADA Virtual Student Chapter Advocacy Chair, Rachel Magann Faivre, Au.D. “The Myers Foundation’s support of H.R. 5304 underscores the importance of passing the legislation, which will bring much needed enhancements to hearing and balance health care for Medicare patients.”
The Audiology Patient Choice Act was introduced with bi-partisan support on July 31st by Representative Lynn Jenkins (R-KS) and Representative Matt Cartwright (D-PA). If enacted, it will:
- Improve access to qualified, licensed Medicare providers, by allowing seniors with a suspected hearing or balance disorder to seek treatment directly from audiologists, eliminating archaic medical doctor referral requirements.
- Allow patients to choose among qualified providers for Medicare-covered audiologic services by authorizing Medicare to reimburse audiologists for the Medicare-covered services that they are licensed to provide. These services are already covered by Medicare when delivered by other providers.
- Address the medical doctor workforce shortage confronting our country, while helping to meet the increasing demand for health care services by the growing Medicare population, through the inclusion of audiologists in the list of Medicare-recognized physicians (chiropractors, dentists, doctors of osteopathy, medical doctors, optometrists and podiatrists).
About David Myers and the David and Carol Myers Foundation
Dr. David Myers is a renowned psychologist and professor of psychology at Hope College, a hard of hearing person, the son of a hard of hearing mother who became completely deaf in her later life, and the author of a memoir of his experiences with hearing loss and hearing technologies (A Quiet World: Living with Hearing Loss, Yale University Press, 2000). Royalties from A Quiet World are assigned to the David and Carol Myers Foundation which, among other things, supports hearing assistance initiatives, including www.hearingloop.org.
Dr. Myers received “the 2011 American Academy of Audiology Presidential Award,” the Walter T. Ridder Award from the Hearing Loss Association of America, and Oticon's 2013 Hearing Advocacy Award. In 2013 he was appointed to represent Americans with hearing loss on the Advisory Council of the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communications Disorders.
His research and writings have been recognized by the Gordon Allport Prize, by an honored scientist award from the Federation of Associations in the Brain and Behavioral Sciences, by the Award for Distinguished Service on Behalf of Personality-Social Psychology, and by three honorary doctorates.
About the Audiology Patient Choice Act
For more information about the Audiology Patient Choice Act, please visit www.18x18.org and ADA’s AuDvocacy Action Center:
- View talking points and Fast Facts
- Contact your legislators via Congressional Connect and urge them to support the legislation
- Donate to the ADA Advocacy Fund or the ADA PAC Fund
- Find us on Facebook and Follow us on Twitter
