April 7, 2021 Washington, D.C.: U.S. Congresswoman Debbie Dingell from Michigan’s 12th District will speak live at the Opening Session of the upcoming annual conference hosted by the American Cochlear Implant Alliance (ACI Alliance) on Thursday, April 29th at 9:45AM EST. The conference, CI2021: Cochlear Implants in Children and Adults, will take place virtually from April 28 – May 1, 2021.
Hearing healthcare issues are a priority for Congresswoman Dingell and will be the focus of her remarks to the conference. Earlier this year Congresswoman Dingell introduced H.R. 1118, the Medicare Hearing Aid Coverage Act of 2021, to promote more robust Medicare coverage of hearing technologies to help patients access better sound and improve their quality of life. ACI Alliance is proud to support this bipartisan legislation and any report that delves into how federal programs provide support and access and address mitigation of hearing loss overall.
Congresswoman Dingell will be introduced at the conference by Terry Zwolan PhD, a professor in the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery and director of the Cochlear Implant Program at the University of Michigan as well as the Co-Chair of the Founding Board of American Cochlear Implant Alliance. Dr. Zwolan notes: “We are grateful for Congresswoman Dingell's leadership in expanding hearing healthcare under Medicare. ACI Alliance facilitated input and support of the proposed legislation including the perspective that hearing aids should be viewed as part of a continuum of care for older adults that aim to help seniors remain connected, healthy and able to care for themselves.”
“Denying people access to hearing aids leaves them isolated and threatens their physical and mental health,” said Congresswoman Dingell. “If we expand coverage for hearing aids under Medicare, we can change not just the lives of people with hearing loss, but the lives of their family, friends, colleagues, and neighbors. It’s this simple: no one should feel isolated, confused or shutout from the world because they cannot afford the treatment they need.”
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. For more information on the CI2021 conference visit: www.CI2021.org
