2022 Early Hearing Detection & Intervention Virtual Conference
March 13 - 15, 2022
3/19/2018 | 3:35 PM - 4:05 PM | Not our First Rodeo, How Hearing Aid and Cochlear Implant Legislation was Finally Passed in the Lone Star State. | Mineral D/E
Not our First Rodeo, How Hearing Aid and Cochlear Implant Legislation was Finally Passed in the Lone Star State.
Medicaid across the USA covers hearing aids for infants and children. Families who are wealthy can pay the approximate $3000+/ hearing aid for their newly diagnosed child. The rest of middle-class America struggle to pay the high costs of hearing aids. The EHDI community is identifying hearing loss in children at precedent speed, but families, who are reeling from the shock of their newly diagnosed child are finding out their insurance plan minimally covers the cost of hearing aids or does not cover the cost of hearing aids at all. Many families, to afford health care, are forced to choose a health care plan that they can barely afford and which includes high out of pocket deductibles. If coverage is present, the astronomical out of pocket deductibles must be met, and this cost often exceeds the very cost of the hearing aids. Insurance typically covers the cost of a Cochlear Implant surgery, but the cost of supplies, batteries, and cords outside, the manufacturer's warranty, is not covered. For six years, Texas EHDI stakeholders have been fighting an extremely conservative legislature to change this problem. This presentation will discuss Texas' ability to close the gap in the continuum of EHDI services for not only Hearing Aid Coverage, but Cochlear Implant coverage along with accessories for each. The attendee will hear the perspective of each a Parent and a Professional who with the use of Social Media were able to achieve a successful outcome. The attendee will also learn how to overcome the likely and unlikely barriers that occur during a legislative session. Transparency and dialogue are critical components in the success of legislation, and with that, the Texas EHDI community closed the gap in the continuum of services for Texas families.
- Identify the role that social media can play in the passage of legislative initiatives.
- Learn how to establish a collaborative statewide initiative with Parents and Professionals centered around Hearing Aid and Cochlear Implant coverage.
- Identify barriers to improving services for deaf and hard of hearing children and understand how to establish “transparency” with all EHDI stakeholders to meet your legislative objective.
Presentation:
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Handouts:
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Transcripts:
CART transcripts are NOT YET available, but will be posted shortly after the conference
Presenters/Authors
Karen Ditty
(), Private Consultant, KDitty@me.com;
Dr. Ditty is a pediatric audiologist with extensive experience and expertise in Early Hearing
Detection and Intervention (EHDI) programs. Her career spans over 35 years and includes initiating newborn hearing screening and hearing aid legislation while implementing EHDI activities in Louisiana and Texas. Dr. Ditty has been associated with the National Center for Hearing Assessment and Management (NCHAM) for more than 20 years. She has been the coordinator of the NCHAM national pediatric audiology diagnostic workshops and served as a member of the Technical Assistance Network for the states of Oklahoma, New Mexico, Arkansas, Texas, and Louisiana over the last decade. Dr. Ditty works on a variety of projects related to early childhood screening and pediatric audiology, such as the Newborn Hearing Screening Training Curriculum and issues related to program quality, financing, and sustainability. Dr. Ditty has authored and contributed to publications related to EHDI, as well as presented extensively at local, national, and international forums on numerous topics related to EHDI.
ASHA DISCLOSURE:
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Nonfinancial -
Jennifer Peterson
(), Texas Hands & Voices Guide By Your Side, jpeterson@gbys.txhv.org;
Jennifer is a parent of a child who is hard of hearing, and is a leader in the Texas Hands & Voices Guide By Your Side Program. She engages in outreach to EHDI providers as a member of the Follow Through Guide Project.
ASHA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
Nonfinancial -