Lifetime Citizen Portal Access — AI Briefings, Alerts & Unlimited Follows
Advocates ask lawmakers to require insurance coverage for hearing aids under H3946
Loading...
Summary
Hearing‑loss advocates and residents urged the committee to pass H3946 to expand insurance coverage for hearing aids, arguing high out‑of‑pocket costs and untreated hearing loss harm quality of life and public health.
Multiple witnesses told the joint committee that hearing aids are prohibitively expensive for many residents and urged passage of House Bill H3946 to expand insurance coverage for hearing aids and related services.
A longtime hearing‑loss advocate testified on personal experience and cited studies linking untreated hearing loss with cognitive decline and falls. "People shouldn't be denied the opportunity to live full and productive lives because they can't afford a hearing aid," the witness said.
Ronald Bergenheim, a local coordinator at Deaf, Inc., described hearing aids that are 15 to 20 years old and said private insurers declined to cover replacements. Several witnesses said states such as New Hampshire provide coverage and asked Massachusetts to follow suit.
Why it matters: witnesses argued that untreated hearing loss reduces employment and social participation, increases isolation and health risks, and that providing coverage would be cost‑effective compared with the downstream costs of untreated hearing impairment.
Discussion versus action: testimony requested the committee support H3946 and S756; no committee action was recorded during the hearing.
