Senate hearing loss bill advances Wednesday

Senate hearing loss bill advances Wednesday February 26, 2025

Sen. Karen Berg, D-Louisville, right, testifies on Senate Bill 93 during Wednesday’s Senate Health Services meeting. SB 93 would help parents offset some costs associated with hearing aids through insurance plans. With Berg is Jennifer Hughes, who testified about the challenges parents face when paying for hearing aids. A high-resolution photo can be found here.

FRANKFORT — The Senate Health Services Committee unanimously advanced a bill Wednesday that would make buying hearing aids for children more affordable through insurance plans in Kentucky.

Sponsored by Sen. Karen Berg, D-Louisville, the bill would require all health benefit plans to provide coverage for hearing aids and related services for children with documented hearing loss. It also calls for state regulations that establish a minimum coverage amount of $2,500 per hearing aid.

One supporter, Jennifer Hughes, testified that her son was born with hearing loss, and the family faced challenges with inadequate insurance coverage for his hearing aids.

Hughes said her son received his first pair of hearing aids when he was two months old, and there was an immediate difference. When he turned three years old, his audiologist recommended upgrading to a pair that cost $5,000.

“Long story short, we paid the full $5,000 for the hearing aids,” Hughes said. “Only $2,000 of that went towards our deductible and out-of-pocket. And then the insurance didn’t pay anything.”

Pediatric audiologist Shelley Moats also testified that prior legislation needs to be updated to meet today’s situations. She said a law passed in 2002 required insurance plans to cover the devices for children, but it has not kept pace with the changes in the health care environment, specifically when it comes to high-deductible insurance plans.

“Most parents end up being completely out-of-pocket on the purchase of hearing aids for their child,” she said, adding that of the roughly 58,000 babies born in Kentucky in 2023, about 175 had permanent hearing loss.

Sen. Craig Richardson, R-Hopkinsville, asked if the price for hearing aids is associated with the size and development of children.

Moats said children are typically fit with hearing aids that go behind the ear and have a life expectancy of about five years as children sweat and get dirty. That creates a replacement cost over time, she said.

Berg said the original version of the bill included coverage requirements for adults as well, but she removed those provisions in the current version. She also expressed concern about a lack of pediatric audiologists in Kentucky networks.

Senate Majority Caucus Chair Robby Mills, R-Henderson, asked about a fiscal note, and Berg said it was for the original bill.

“We have requested a second fiscal note. We’ve not gotten that back, but the assumption is it’s going to be less than the current because we excluded adults, and the original fiscal bill included those people,” she said.

Mills asked about breakage, loss and maintenance of hearing aids.

Moats said manufacturers understand that hearing aids for children are at risk of loss or breakage, and the cost includes unlimited repair and a one-time replacement for loss or damage during the warranty period.

The bill now heads to the full Senate for consideration.

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https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/publicservices/pio/release.html#Hearing022625