Hearing Aid Vote
Submitted by Todd Hash on Mon, 03/15/2010 - 4:28pm.
The House Commerce Industrial Impact Subcommittee will consider legislation to require health insurance coverage for hearing aids for children. This is perhaps the most critical committee to the bill's future. It can live or die on a vote this Wednesday at 10am in Legislative Plaza, Room 10.
House Commerce - Industrial Impact Subcommittee
If one of your legislators are on this committee, then please take a few moments to give their office a call or write a personal email to ask for their support of House Bill 636 on Wednesday, March 17th. If sending an email, please copy us at news@tndisability so we can track our success!
Charles Curtiss - District 43 - White and parts of Putnam & Warren Counties
Phone: (615) 741-1963, Email: rep.charles.curtiss@capitol.tn.gov
Dennis Roach - District 35 - Claiborne, Grainger, and part of Jefferson County
Phone: (615) 741-2534, Email: rep.dennis.roach@capitol.tn.gov
Joanne Favors - District 29 - part of Hamilton County
Phone: (615) 741-2702, Email: rep.joanne.favors@capitol.tn.gov
Dennis Ferguson - Dristrict 32 - Roane and part of Loundon County
Phone: (615) 741-7658, Email: rep.dennis.ferguson@capitol.tn.gov
Jon Lundberg - District 1 - part of Sullivan County
Phone: (615) 741-7623, Email: rep.jon.lundberg@capitol.tn.gov
Joe McCord - District 8 - parts of Blount and Sevier Counties
Phone: (615) 741-5481, Email: rep.joe.mccord@capitol.tn.gov
Gerald McCormick - District 26 - part of Hamilton County
Phone: (615) 741-2548, Email: rep.gerald.mccormick@capitol.tn.gov
Jimmy Naifeh - District 81 - Haywood and part of Tipton County
Phone: (615) 741-3774, Email: spk.eme.jimmy.naifeh@capitol.tn.gov
Charles Sargent - District 61 - part of Williamson County
Phone: (615) 741-6808, Email: rep.charles.sargent@capitol.tn.gov
David Shepard - District 69 - Dickson and part of Hickman County
Phone: (615) 741-3513 - Email: rep.david.shepard@capitol.tn.gov
Eric Swafford - District 25 - Cumberland and Bledsoe Counties
Phone (615) 741-2343 - Email: rep.eric.swafford@capitol.tn.gov
Curry Todd - District 95 - Part of Shelby County
Phone: (615) 741-1866, Email: rep.curry.todd@capitol.tn.gov
Joe Towns, Jr - District 84 - Part of Shelby County
Phone: (615) 741-2189, Email: rep.joe.towns@capitol.tn.gov
The Basics
The bill requires health plan coverage for hearing aids for children with hearing loss, birth through age 24, up to $1,000 per ear every 36 months.
- Personal Story? - If you have a personal story to tell about a friend or loved one with hearing loss, then please share it with your legislator. If you do not have a personal connection, then talk about the importance of access to something so basic as a hearing aid for children to success in school and beyond.
- A Constituent - Be sure to provide your name, address and phone number so the legislator knows you are a constituent in their district.
- Why It's Important Today - Tell them that House Bill 636 will be up for consideration in their Industrial Impact Committee on Wednesday morning and that you'd appreciate their support.
- Approximately 1.3 children per 1,000 births or 70 children under the age of 3 years in TN were diagnosed with permanent hearing loss in 2007.
- Research has shown that children diagnosed with hearing loss and provided amplification within the first 6 months of life will develop the language foundation necessary for literacy and academic success by the time they start kindergarten.
- Hearing aids are critical to the language development of children with hearing loss whose parents have chosen listening and spoken language for them.
- Research has shown at least 40 percent of of children with a hearing loss are needing insurance coverage for hearing aids.
- 16 other states - Arkansas, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Maryland, Colorado, New Mexico, Minnesota, Kentucky, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Missouri, New Jersey, Maine, Delaware, Oregon, Wisconsin - have passed legislation requiring insurance coverage for hearing aids for children (range 5 to 39 cents per member per health plan). Rhode Island covers all age ranges and Wisconsin also includes cochlear implants.
