Public Hearing on Bills for Hearing Aids and Large Print Labels

Date:   June 28, 2011

Time:   1 PM

Room:  BI, State House

 The Joint Committee on Financial Services will hold a public hearing on the following bills:

1.  SB429 – An Act providing health care coverage for hearing aids.

 Sponsored by Sen. Joyce (D-Milton)

 Bill Highlights:

 -Requires individual and group health insurance policies to cover hearing aids for children up to $1500.00 per hearing aid, per ear ,every three years, and for adults up to $1000.00 per hearing aid, per ear, every three years.

 -Requires coverage of audiological assessments and follow ups.

 -Prohibits special deductibles, coinsurance, co-payments or other limitations on these services.

 -Allows insured to pay difference for more expensive hearing aids.

 -Prohibits lifetime dollar maximums for hearing aids.

 Read the S429 text here http://www.malegislature.gov/Bills/187/Senate/S00429

 2.  HB324 – An Act to provide hearing aid coverage for persons with profound hearing loss.

 Sponsored by Rep. Scibak (D-S. Hadley)

 Bill Highlights:

 -Requires health benefit plans to provide 80% coverage for one hearing aid and related services per ear, every 24 months for insured individuals with bilateral profound hearing loss.

-Does not prohibit special deductibles, coinsurance, co-payments or other limitations on these services.

-Does not prohibit lifetime dollar maximums for hearing aids.

Read the H324 text here http://www.malegislature.gov/Bills/187/House/H00324

 3.  SB472 – An Act relative to large print labels for the visually impaired.

 Sponsored by Sen. Tolman (D-Brighton)

 Bill Highlights:

 -Requires insurance providers to provide coverage for the expense of a container large enough to be labeled with the name of the medication, the dosage, the dosage frequency and the expiration date in 24 point font for use by a person who is legally blind or visually impaired.

-Policy holders would be responsible for re-using the device for refills and for new prescriptions as appropriate and returning the container to a pharmacist for refill.

 Read the S472 text here http://www.malegislature.gov/Bills/187/Senate/S00472

This entry was posted in Assistive Technology, Events, Free Stuff, Legislation/Regulations, Uncategorized. Bookmark the permalink.

Comments are closed.