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Volume 16, No. 3, Summer 2008

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Mandatory Hearing Aid Coverage Becomes Law

Linda S. Heller
State President
Hearing Loss Association of Delaware

Photo of two children with hearing aidsThe Hearing Loss Association of Delaware (HLADE)—which gives help and hope to children and adults with hearing loss through information, education, advocacy and support—was pleased to be a part of a three-year coalition effort. The coalition’s efforts fulfilled an important legislative and advocacy agenda to pass House Bill 355, Delaware’s Health Insurer Coverage for Hearing Aids Bill for Children. HB355 helps ensure that no child need go without a hearing aid!

Governor Ruth Ann Minner signed HB355 into law on June 18, 2008 in Legislative Hall, making Delaware the eleventh state to pass a hearing aid insurance law. With Computer Assisted Real Time (CART) reporters, sign language interpreters, parents, consumers, advocates, and legislators standing by, the Governor announced she was pleased to support this bill and stated, “Why didn’t we do this a long time ago?” This was the first time that CART was used in the Governor’s office. The Governor handed pens to two children with hearing loss after she signed the bill.

Primary sponsor of the bill, Rep. Gerald Brady (Democrat-4th District), expressed thanks to advocates and said how sponsoring this bill as a freshman legislator would always be very special to him. Senator Nancy Cook (Democrat-15th District) was delighted to play a key role in the bill’s passage. Rep John Viola (Democrat-26th District), an early supporter, was also there to emphasize how important this bill was for children, and Matt Denn, Esq., Delaware’s Insurance Commissioner who helped with technical advice on the bill’s crafting, spoke with passion about how children would benefit from this law in years to come.

HB355 mandates that every health insurance contract that covers children as dependents provides $1,000 toward a single hearing aid, $2,000 for two. Furthermore, they are to provide, as an optional rider, coverage for hearing aids. The insurer has sole discretion as to the provider of the hearing aids. The insured will be reimbursed for the cost of each hearing aid up to $1,000 each, subject to deductibles and a review by the insurance company.

What exactly does House Bill 355 include?

Hearing loss is the sixth most common medical condition in the U.S. (NINDS, 2005) and the average lifetime cost for one person with a hearing loss is $417,000 (Center for Disease Control, 2003), with about 30% ($125,100) of that amount spent on special education costs. The $417,000 excludes hospital visits, interpreters, assistive listening devices, hearing aid batteries, and other out-of-pocket expenses. About 37% of kids with hearing loss fail at least one grade. Based on Center for Disease Control estimates, about 10-12% of Delaware children have a temporary or permanent hearing loss. Children with a permanent hearing loss commonly benefit from hearing aids and children with temporary losses sometimes need hearing aids or assistive listening devices.

HLADE is grateful for the advocacy coalition that consisted of many people across the community spectrum, including HLADE board members and the following:

HLADE, a state association of the Hearing Loss Association of America (HLAA), is a non-profit all-volunteer organization. HLADE will continue to lead efforts to advocate for kids to be able to hear teachers and coaches as well as TV, radio, in movie theaters, at art and sporting events, as well as cell phones, iPods, videos, CD’s, and so much more! Kids with hearing loss experience social and language isolation at home, work, school, and play when they can not hear well. So, it makes sense for insurance companies to pay for hearing aids as soon as a child is found to need them. This coverage will more than pay for itself when you compare the cost of hearing aids—$3,000 for one, $6,000 for two—with the thousands of dollars likely to be spent throughout a child’s life for hearing loss-related therapies and services (for example, speech and language therapy, extra reading assistance, tutoring, and other supports). We also know that kids who don’t get hearing aids are more likely to be at least one year behind in school and, as a result, some need behavioral intervention. HB355 is a critical first step in making sure that every child who can get a hearing aid will have a better chance to learn and keep up with their peers without hearing loss. We know that some parents will still need more money to buy a hearing aid, but HLADE will work with other organizations to fill funding gaps. HB355 will not just help kids hear, it will help kids succeed in life!

For further information on HB355 or hearing loss, please contact HLADE at 302-292-3066 (voice/relay), by email hlade@comcast.net, or on the web at www.hlade.org. ■

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