Take Action: Support the Medicare Audiology Access Improvement Act

As Congress spends this week working in their home districts, the Academy encourages members to take action to support the introduction of the Medicare Audiology Access Improvement Act of 2025 (H.R. 2757) in the Senate. This bill represents a significant bipartisan effort to modernize Medicare’s coverage of audiology services, aiming to enhance access to hearing and balance care for seniors and individuals with disabilities. Introduced in the House on April 9, 2025, by Representatives Gus Bilirakis (R-FL), Kevin Mullin (D-CA), and Nathaniel Moran (R-TX), MAAIA aims to modernize Medicare by removing outdated barriers that prevent patients from directly accessing audiologists.

Specifically, this legislation provides:

• Direct access to audiologists: Eliminates the requirement for a physician referral before a patient can see an audiologist, thereby reducing unnecessary office visits and associated costs. 
• Recognition of audiologists as Medicare practitioners: Reclassifies audiologists as practitioners under Medicare, enabling them to provide services independently, including via telehealth, beyond the current expiration date of September 30, 2025. 
• Inclusion in rural and federally qualified health centers: Allows audiologists to offer the full scope of Medicare-covered services in rural health clinics and federally qualified health centers, improving access in underserved areas. 

As the bill progresses through the legislative process, public support is crucial. We are asking our members to contact their U.S. Representatives to express support for H.R. 2757. Please click the link below for a customizable template to help facilitate your outreach.

By reaching out to your Representative, you can play a vital role in advancing this legislation, helping to ensure its re-introduction in the Senate and ultimately providing Medicare beneficiaries with direct access to essential audiology services. The Academy will continue to monitor and update members on MAAIA as the bill moves through the legislative process.