AAA, ASHA and ADA teamed up to make the rounds on Capitol Hill to garner support for H.R. 4056, the Medicare Audiologist Access and Services Act of 2019. Over the span of three days, representatives of the three associations met with legislators on both sides of the aisle that serve on the two committees of jurisdiction, the House Energy and Commerce Committee and the House Ways and Means Committee. Companion legislation that is identical to H.R. 4056 is expected to be introduced in the Senate after the August recess by Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Senator Rand Paul (R-KY). H.R. 4056 would remove the physician referral requirement, grant audiologists “practitioner status” and allow them to provide and be reimbursed for diagnostic and treatment services that they are currently permitted to perform under their state scope of practice. The legislation would also allow individual audiologists to “opt-out” of Medicare if they so choose.
Recent Posts
Plants Can Scream? And Can Animals Hear Them?
Two years ago, a team of scientists from Tel Aviv University were the first to show that plants scream when they are distressed or unhealthy…
New School Year, New Opportunities
I was walking through Target with my husband last week when suddenly he groaned and said, “oh I hated to see that when I was…
Pediatric Audiology Specialty Certification (PASC) Exam Update
Of the 25 exam candidates who took the Spring 2025 PASC Exam in May, 22 of the 25 passed the exam and are now Board…