Dear Honorable Representatives and Senators:

As a constituents in your districts, We are writing to ask for your support of HB490 and SB552 to require private insurance companies to cover the cost of children’s hearing aids and cochlear implants for children. Although hearing aids are deemed a medically necessary treatment, many insurance companies do NOT cover hearing aids and consider them cosmetic. Families that qualify for Medicaid receive coverage for hearing aids, but there are many families who do not qualify yet still cannot afford the high cost for this technology, which their children need to access sound and verbal language. Hearing aids can cost as much as $6,000 per pair and they have to be replaced every 3-5 years. It is estimated that parents of deaf/hard of hearing children will spend at least $40,000 on hearing aids before each child graduates high school.  Cochlear Implants are often covered but their related services and supplies and medically necessary replacements are often not covered.

Today, two to three babies in Texas will be born who are deaf or hard of hearing. On average, an additional two more Texans born today will acquire some level of hearing loss before the age of 18 months.

Investing in the early years of a child’s life saves the taxpayers money.  When a child’s hearing needs are not identified and/or when they do not receive early intervention, special education for a child with hearing loss costs schools an additional $420,000 (over the 12 years), and has a lifetime cost of approximately $1 million per individual.  Each day this help is delayed, is one more day of rehabilitation that is needed later. Twenty other states have passed legislation requiring private insurance companies to cover the cost of children’s hearing aids. We are asking for your help to make sure that Texas’ hard of hearing children do not fall behind. 



Thank you for your time and consideration of this request.  Your support of children who have hearing loss is greatly appreciated.