Today I learned about another bill in Congress for deaf and hard of hearing people: HR 504, the Medicare Hearing Enhancement and Auditory Rehabilitation (HEAR) Act of 2009. This bill would, according to its summary: Amend title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to cover hearing aids and auditory rehabilitation services under the Medicare program. Unfortunately, the bill has only six cosponsors at this time.
However, this is a significant bill because historically, private health companies tend to follow Medicare. If Medicare began to cover hearing aids, then more private health insurance companies would cover hearing aids, too. Ironically, one of the six cosponsors is Representative Rick Boucher - the same Rick Boucher who chairs the House Subcommittee on Communications, Technology, and the Internet - that has HR 3101, the 21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act.
Rick Boucher cosponsors adding hearing aids and supplies to Medicare? He opposes the captioning features of HR3101?
Give support to those who want to hear. No support for those who want to read captions because they can’t hear well enough.
There has to be a word for that…can’t think of it…on the tip of my tongue…hmm…starts with an A.
We have been creating videos for the Illinois legislators and have about 5-6 of them… please watch this video of John Schmidt who is a talented and well respected attorney here in Illinois who worked under Bill Clinton at the DOJ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2DietLo_fVI
Dianrez, evidently you must have a mild to moderate hearing loss without the Tinnitus and Hyperacuisis which distorts discrimination of speech. I have a severe/profound loss as well as the other 2 mentioned above. If it wasn’t for CC I could not enjoy Movies and TV at home. I’m on Disability/Medicare living on a fixed income. I could upgrade my aids to newer heights by having Medicare to help pay for them but would still need CC. You need to be more considerate of others and not so selfish. The way you ended the blog with a word on the tip of your tongue that started with a “A” shows a tremendous lack of maturity and it doesn’t take a brain surgeon to discern what the “A” meant. Grow up and be more considerate of your fellow mankind.
Joe Risha
I’m profoundly (and culturally) Deaf and depend on CC all the time. I was being sarcastic in referring to Boucher and the A word for him is Audist because he supported hearing aids and was not interested in supporting CC. Sorry if you misunderstood, Joe.
I am 68 years old and until three years ago have never understood speech without lipreading or CC. I now have cochlear implants which were paid for by private insurance, but which would not otherwise have been paid for. Military retirees get hearing services whether or not their hearing loss is service related. Being able to live as a human being seems to fall under the “life, liberty and pursuit of happiness”, wouldn’t you think? The able never do.
I am on Medicare, Social Security Disability for almost 10 years now due to profound hearing loss. My situation is catch-22. My SSDI payments cover my rent, food, and housing, with little at the end of the month saved for purchase of hearing aids which would enable me to go back to work, so I stay on SSDI, waiting for Medicare to buy hearing aids that work for me. Deaf people can get $30,000 implants, while the hard of hearing get nothing. This Medicare bill would be a huge game changer for all of us stuck in the middle and would help thousands of people get off SSDI due to profound hearing loss and get back to work.
I don’t understand WHY???????? We can’t have closed captioning and help with hearing aids.. Hearings DON’T help Everybody.. and with hearing aids still need help hearing the TV..I have a CI.. I still cannot hear the TV..I am soooooo tired of people IGNORANCE!!!!
I have hearing aids, but also have nerve deafness so need CC. I bought my hearing aids before I retired, but am concerned about how I am going to pay for new ones when I need them now that I am on a fixed income. Without them I can hear very little. I also cannot understand why hearing aids are so expensive.
Most cases even with the best hearing aids and CIs, Closed Captioning is our vital link to the outside world. If you are on Medicare, you are required to have Medigap or supplimemtal insurance which many cost nothing to join. Many of those insurance do provide up to $500 a year for hearing aids. I know this is not enough but I figured out how to work this one to my benefit. Go to a hearing aid center and ask about reconditioned hearing aids for purchase. Not all sell reconditioned hearings. Keep looking till you find a willing place. I brought my latest hearing aid for only $300 and Insurance was glad to cover that since it had the same warrantee as new aids and cost much less than new ones. Be sure to ask your insurance 1st. Hope this helps.