WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King has introduced legislation that will improve access to specialized doctors for Maine people dealing with hearing loss or impairments. The bipartisan Medicare Audiology Access Improvement Act would ensure that older Maine people and people with disabilities on Medicare are able to access a full range of hearing and balance health care services provided by trained and licensed audiologists.

Hearing loss affects over 48 million Americans. Though Medicare already covers a range of hearing health services, Medicare currently does not recognize audiologists as providers and will only allow reimbursement for a narrow set of tests to diagnose a hearing or balance disorder – and only if patients first obtain an order from a physician or nurse practitioner. 

“Hearing loss can be an incredibly isolating condition that can affect a patient’s emotional, physical, and social well-being, yet many people that would qualify for hearing aids or implants simply cannot access the necessary care they can receive from audiologists,” said Senator King. “Nearly 17% of Maine people have some sort of hearing loss and many veterans experience hearing problems as well—in fact, it’s the number one disability for veterans nationwide. The bipartisan Medicare Audiology Access Improvement Act will remove unnecessary bureaucratic hurdles so that Medicare beneficiaries experiencing hearing loss or balance changes can access expedited treatment by specialized medical professionals. I want to thank all of my colleagues for putting partisan differences aside to make policy that will improve the well-being of Americans all over the country.”

The Medicare Audiology Access Improvement Act is supported by the American Academy of Audiology, Academy of Doctors of Audiology, American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, and National Association of Rural Health Clinics.

The legislation:

• Amends the definition of “audiology services” in the Medicare statute, which specifies the services that audiologists may provide, to include all services already covered by Medicare that are also within an audiologist's scope of practice;
• Amends the Medicare definition of practitioner to include audiologists, which improves beneficiary access to audiologic and vestibular care, a change that is consistent with Medicare's classification of similar health care providers such as clinical social workers and clinical psychologists;
• Makes technical changes to remove the pre-treatment order requirement, which does not exist with any other federal or commercial payer; 
• Ensures seniors and people with disabilities can receive the full scope of audiology services covered by Medicare at Rural Health Centers and Federally Qualified Health Centers; and
• Makes no changes to the scope of hearing health benefits covered by Medicare or the scope of practice of audiologists.

The legislation (text here) is co-sponsored by Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass), Rand Paul (R-Ky.), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.), Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), and Peter Welch (D-Vt.).