HLAA Convention 2010 Special: Worshops # 6

[Guest guest]

NVRC News - July 15, 2010

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How to Pay for Hearing Aids

By Bonnie O'Leary

This popular break-out session was given by our dear friend and former NVRC

colleague, Lise Hamlin. Lise started off by mentioning how many complaints

HLAA receives about the high cost of hearing aids and how they are not

usually covered by health insurance plans. The current range of cost for

one hearing aid is $1,000 to $4,000. Contributing to this high cost are

research and development, customization of each hearing aid to fit the needs

of the wearer, and manufacturing/marketing costs. Also included in the cost

calculations are the time spent with the professional who selects, fits,

programs, adjusts and services the instruments. When the average lifetime

of a hearing aid is generally three to five years, wearers are faced with

repeated large expenditures for the lifetime of their hearing loss.

Lise then presented some possible solutions.

Legislation

The Hearing Aid Assistance Tax Credit Act (HR 1646, Rep. Carolyn McCarthy,

NY), provides a tax credit for $500/hearing aid once every 5 years,

available to taxpayers earning $200,000 a year or less who are 55 and older,

plus their dependents. This bill had 119 cosponsors as of May 13, 2010.

S1019, supported by Senator Tom Harkin (IA), offers the same benefits but

covers all taxpayers without restriction, and this had 10 cosponsors as of

May 13, 2010. http://www.hearingloss.org/advocacy/legislative.asp. To see

if your legislators are on board, check

http://www.hearingaidtaxcredit.org/cosponsors/cfm. Thank them if they are,

but if they are not, send email, letters and visit them to support the bill!

The Medicare Hearing Enhancement and Auditory Rehabilitation (HEAR) Act of

2009 is supported by HLAA supports this bill, introduced in the House as

H.R.504 and in the Senate as S.1837. It would amend Title VIII of the Social

Security Act to cover hearing aids and auditory rehabilitation under the

Medicare Program.

Health care reform is underway in this country, and HLAA did fight for

language to specifically include people with hearing loss. But services and

devices to treat hearing loss were not included, although hearing aids were

excluded from tax on medical devices, and coverage for " rehabilitative and

habilitative services and devices " is included. HHS will promulgate rules

to define those " services and devices " , and HLAA will be there to comment.

Several states have passed legislation that provides health insurance

coverage for hearing aids; these include Colorado, Connecticut, Maine,

Delaware, New Mexico, Rhode Island, Wisconsin. You can get involved by

finding out if your state has insurance coverage, and forming a group of

like-minded citizens to work towards insurance coverage if it does not.

Visit http://www.graceslaw.com to learn how New Jersey's law came about.

Federal Help

Federal Employee Health Benefit Plans (FEHB) covered children as of January

1, 2008, and adults as of January 1, 2009. At least 11 plans include

coverage for hearing aids. Active duty military have coverage through

TRICARE (US Dept. of Defense Military Health System) if they meet specific

hearing loss requirements. The Air Force Aid Society offers coverage on a

case by case review. Emergency assistance can be given as an interest free

loan, a grant, or a combination of both. Veterans meeting eligibility

requirements can receive diagnostic audiology services. Additional

information can be found at

http://www.hearingloss.org/veterans/resources.asp.

State-administered Programs

Medicaid and SCHIP are two resources that may offer benefits. Medicaid is a

public-funded health insurance program for people with very low income.

SCHIP is the State Children's health Insurance Program, designed to cover

uninsured children in families with incomes that are modest but too high to

qualify for Medicaid. Each state establishes its own criteria and coverage

models. For a state-by-state listing of benefits, visit

www.kff.org/medicaid/benefits/service.jsp?nt=on

<http://www.kff.org/medicaid/benefits/service.jsp?nt=on & so=0 & tg=0 & yr=2 & cat+1

1 & sv=11> & so=0 & tg=0 & yr=2 & cat+11 & sv=11.

Vocational Rehabilitation has helped more than 14 million people. There is

no income eligibility; you simply need to be a person with a disability to

qualify for services. Among the services provided by VR are prostheses,

hearing aids, college education, vocational training, and job placement. VR

only has funds to serve around 10% of those who are eligible, and some

states have long waiting lists. Sometimes it helps to apply at the start of

their fiscal year.

Corporate Assistance

Many corporations and/or your hearing health provider may offer financial

assistance for hearing aids or audiological services. HLAA has a policy

statement to show employers. Many companies offer Medical Flexible Spending

Accounts which allow staff to set aside up to $5,000 of their pay per year,

through payroll deductions, on a pre-taxed basis, to pay for out-of-pocket

medical and dental expenses. The deduction maximum limits are set by the

employer. All expenses not covered under a group insurance plan are

considered covered expenses under FSA.

If your employer does not offer any help, urge them to include hearing aids

in your company's health care plan or a medical flex plan. You can start

with the Human Resources Department, or even your boss, showing what the

problem is and what the possible solution could be. You can show them

HLAA's fact sheet: hearing Aids, Health Benefits and Insurance Coverage.

http://www.hearingloss.org/advocacy/insure752a.asp.

Private and Civic Financial Aid

Better Hearing Institute (BHI) has a listing of over 55 different private

programs that provide loans or grants to qualifying people who need hearing

aids, " Your Guide to Financial Assistance for Hearing Aids. " You can access

this at http://www.betterhearing.org. Most of the resources in the guide

are for low income individuals and families. However, there are a few who

assist those whose income is above the government's established poverty

levels but who still find it difficult to afford quality hearing, such as

AUDIENT (www.audientalliance.org), and Let Them Hear Foundation

(www.letthemhear.org). For a listing of providers of financial assistance

for hearing aids and personal assistive technology, visit

http://hearingloss.org/support/financial.asp.

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