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Committee advances bill to restore cochlear implant and outpatient speech therapy coverage for adults on Medicaid
Summary
Senators gave a due‑pass recommendation to Senate Bill 12‑07, which would require Arizona’s Medicaid agency (Access/AHCCCS) to cover adult cochlear implants and outpatient speech therapy; medical specialists testified in support and Access provided a fiscal estimate and said it is neutral.
The Senate Appropriations Committee advanced Senate Bill 12 07, which would require the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (known as Access/AHCCCS) to provide outpatient speech therapy services and cochlear implants to eligible adults aged 21 and older and to align pharmacy and durable medical equipment coverage rules.
Senator Leach and medical experts told the committee that cochlear implants and outpatient speech pathology restore function and reduce long‑term costs by preventing hospitalizations and enabling return to work. Leah Mackey, a head and neck cancer speech‑language pathologist at Banner MD Anderson in Gilbert, testified that outpatient speech pathology reduces downstream costs in the head‑and‑neck cancer population: “The American Speech and Hearing Association says that speech pathology saves $18,754 per cancer patient.”
ENT and cochlear‑implant specialists from Barrow Neurological Institute described clinical results and workforce impacts. Dr. Sean Stevens, head of the Barrow Cochlear Implant Program, said the technology “can take an individual who is essentially completely functionally deaf and convert them into a near normal hearing individual,” noting that many states now cover adult recipients through Medicaid.
Damien Carpenter, fiscal staff from Access, said the agency is neutral on the bill but provided a fiscal estimate: an annual general‑fund cost of $274,000 and an annual total‑fund cost of $1,420,000. Carpenter’s statement said the estimates are intended to show the upfront funds needed if the service is added.
After testimony and brief discussion, the committee voted to advance the bill. The committee recorded 9 ayes, 0 nays, 1 not voting.
Actions recorded: the committee recommended due pass for SB 12 07; Access provided a fiscal estimate; multiple medical providers and speech‑language pathologists testified in support. No specific statutory citations were presented during the hearing.
