I am a Louisiana resident.

In 2009, at the age of 40, I sustained permanent hearing loss and chronic tinnitus following a motor vehicle accident involving airbag deployment and extreme noise exposure. While I am not fully deaf, the hair cells in both of my inner ears were severely damaged, which means my brain struggles to interpret sound. As a working professional in an analytical role where communication is critical, meetings, conference calls and everyday conversations in noisy environments require intense concentration and comprehension that often leave me mentally exhausted and at many times feeling a bit left out of conversations and unable to respond accordingly. In other public environments such as shopping, eating out in restaurants with family even while riding in vehicles, background noise makes conversations nearly impossible for me. I am unable to hear soft warning tones (such as alarms or microwave alerts, footsteps behind me, or emergency cues, creating legitimate safety concerns. Despite being heavily insured, I have been denied coverage for hearing aids because they are classified as "cosmetic" devices under my health plan and I was quoted a staggering $7,000 out of pocket to obtain a device without any coverage. 

Hearing aids are not cosmetic; they are medically necessary assistive devices that restore sensory function. My hearing loss affects my safety, my professional performance, my communication with family and friends, my mental well-being, and my ability to fully participate in society. Vision correction is covered under many insurance plans; however, auditory correction is not, despite the comparable functional necessity.

I turned to my health insurance for help on several occasions and each time I was met with a reality that millions of adults face: insurance companies are allowed to classify hearing aids as "elective" and they refused to cover the cost.

Classifying hearing aids as "elective" ignores the very real medical dangers of untreated hearing loss. Johns Hopkins Medicine has shown that untreated hearing loss doubles the risk of dementia, and even a mild loss triples the risk of an accidental fall. It is a vital medical necessity for my brain health and physical safety.

But beyond the medical statistics is the daily, quiet isolation. In public spaces, the everyday white noise becomes an impenetrable wall. I've come to depend on my husband and my children constantly to relay basic information to me just so I can be part of the conversation. I am losing my independence, not because a solution doesn't exist, but because a $7,000 price tag stands in my way.

We would never tell someone that a wheelchair required after a car accident is a cosmetic expense. Yet, adults with hearing loss are routinely told that participating safely in the world is an out-of-pocket luxury.

Louisiana has taken necessary steps to mandate hearing aid coverage for minors and young adults up to age 26. But hearing loss doesn't discriminate by age, and trauma can happen to anyone in an instant. By leaving adults unprotected, the current system forces families to choose between financial ruin and basic safety.

I am calling on the Louisiana State Legislature and the Department of Insurance to mandate comprehensive health insurance coverage for adult hearing aids.

No one should be priced out of hearing their family's voices, hearing an alarm, or participating fully in their community. Please sign my petition to tell Louisiana lawmakers that hearing healthcare is a fundamental right.

PROPOSED SOLUTION:  It's time we demand action from insurance companies and policymakers in Louisiana to increase the support for affordable hearing aids. Insurers should expand their coverage to include hearing aids in their basic health insurance plans, making them more accessible to those who need them. Additionally, we urge lawmakers to reconsider and revise health policies that unfairly exclude hearing aids as essential medical devices.

Will you join me in my fight to reclassify hearing aids as medically necessary –NOT cosmetic? By signing this petition, you are joining a cause that hopes to reduce the financial burden on countless families and give individuals with hearing impairments the agency to live their lives fully. Let's ensure that no one in Louisiana has to choose between their financial well-being and their ability to hear.  Please sign this petition to make a change.