Massachusetts Hearing Aids for Children Coalition
It's About Accessibility In 1998, Massachusetts passed a law mandating hearing screening for all newborns born in the Commonwealth before leaving a hospital or birth center. Once hearing loss is diagnosed and hearing aids are prescribed, however, parents or caregivers must pay out-of-pocket for hearing aids for their children, which cost upwards of $2,000 each and must be replaced every 3 to 5 years. Of the 80,000 births annually in Massachusetts, approximately 150 children will be diagnosed with hearing loss and prescribed hearing aids. Hearing loss is one of the birth most common birth defects in the U.S., occurring in ~3 of every 1,000 births. Research has shown that early identification of hearing loss and amplification with hearing aids in children prior to 6 months of age yields significantly better receptive and expressive language and vocabulary, personal-social skills and speech production. Our children have proven this to be true. We know that early identification and access to hearing aids results in improved language abilities, lower educational and vocational costs, and increased lifetime productivity. Children who have early access to hearing aids tend to develop speech and language on par with their hearing peers and have joined mainstream classrooms. This means long-term cost savings to the Commonwealth- money that would otherwise be spent on special education, social services and medical care- at a very low cost to private insurance. Access to hearing aids for the children who need them in Massachusetts remains inadequate due to their cost and the fact that most insurance companies specifically exclude hearing aids from coverage in their plans. We can change this, as many other states have, and close the gap between early identification and access to hearing aids for children. Please sign our petition, which will be sent to legislators at the State House in Boston! To learn more please view this Powerpoint presentation.
Massachusetts Hearing Aids for Children Coalition (MassHAFCC)
Sign the petition for access to hearing aids for children in Massachusetts now!
Join Yahoo Groups for MassHAFCC in order to stay updated on what you can do.
Visit the MassHAFCC Facebook page.
About Lisa Adams
It's About Accessibility In 1998, Massachusetts passed a law mandating hearing screening for all newborns born in the Commonwealth before leaving a hospital or birth center. Once hearing loss is diagnosed and hearing aids are prescribed, however, parents or caregivers must pay out-of-pocket for hearing aids for their children, which cost upwards of $2,000 each and must be replaced every 3 to 5 years. Of the 80,000 births annually in Massachusetts, approximately 150 children will be diagnosed with hearing loss and prescribed hearing aids. Hearing loss is one of the birth most common birth defects in the U.S., occurring in ~3 of every 1,000 births. Research has shown that early identification of hearing loss and amplification with hearing aids in children prior to 6 months of age yields significantly better receptive and expressive language and vocabulary, personal-social skills and speech production. Our children have proven this to be true. We know that early identification and access to hearing aids results in improved language abilities, lower educational and vocational costs, and increased lifetime productivity. Children who have early access to hearing aids tend to develop speech and language on par with their hearing peers and have joined mainstream classrooms. This means long-term cost savings to the Commonwealth- money that would otherwise be spent on special education, social services and medical care- at a very low cost to private insurance. Access to hearing aids for the children who need them in Massachusetts remains inadequate due to their cost and the fact that most insurance companies specifically exclude hearing aids from coverage in their plans. We can change this, as many other states have, and close the gap between early identification and access to hearing aids for children. Please sign our petition, which will be sent to legislators at the State House in Boston! To learn more please view this Powerpoint presentation.
Massachusetts Hearing Aids for Children Coalition (MassHAFCC)
Sign the petition for access to hearing aids for children in Massachusetts now!
Join Yahoo Groups for MassHAFCC in order to stay updated on what you can do.
Visit the MassHAFCC Facebook page.
About Lisa Adams
