,,ii  #aacth ,,congress  #b;d ,session  
,s4 #bjdf  ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of     
,,the ,,united ,,states  ,february #bf1 
#bjad ,mr4 ,brown introduced the        
following bill2 which was read twice and
 referred to the ,committee on ,finance 
,a ,,bill  ,to amend title ,,xviii of   
the ,social ,security ,act to provide   
,medicare beneficiaries coordinated care
 and greater choice with regard to      
accessing hearing health services and   
benefits4  #a4  ,short title  ,this ,act
 may be cited as the ,access to ,hearing
 ,healthcare ,act of #bjad4  #b4        
,findings  ,congress finds the          
following3  7#a7 ,approximately         
#cf1jjj1jjj ,americans experience some  
degree of hearing loss and by #bjcj that
 number is expected to increase to      
#gh1jjj1jjj ,americans4  7#b7 ,hearing  
impairment is one of the most common    
conditions affecting older adults1 with 
approximately #cc percent of ,americans 
aged #fj years and over and #dj to #ej  
percent of those aged #ge years and     

older experiencing hearing loss4  7#c7  
,the ,national ,institute on ,deafness  
and ,other ,communication ,disorders    
estimates that approximately #ae percent
 7#bf million7 of ,americans between the
 ages of #bj and #fi have high frequency
 hearing loss due to exposure to loud   
sounds or noise at work or in leisure   
activities4  7#d7 ,hearing loss is a    
major barrier to participating in       
society1 both economically and socially4
  7#e7 ,hearing loss among senior       
citizens1 if left untreated1 can result 
in isolation and depression4  7#f7 ,the 
,department of ,veterans ,affairs allows
 veterans to directly access            
audiologists and has reported that this 
policy1 adopted in #aiib1 provides      
high-quality1 efficient1 and            
cost-effective hearing care4  7#g7 ,the 
,office of ,personnel ,management allows
 ,federal employees and ,members of     
,congress to directly access            
audiologists through the ,federal       
,employees ,health ,benefits ,program4  

7#h7 ,audiologists are licensed in each 
,state and the ,district of ,columbia   
and the scope of services furnished by  
audiologists is determined by each      
jurisdiction involved4  7#i7            
,consistency in ,federal policy with    
respect to hearing health services      
should be encouraged to the greatest    
extent possible4  7#aj7 ,audiologists   
hold ,master's or ,doctoral ,degrees in 
audiology1 completing university        
training programs which provide for     
rigorous theoretical and clinical       
education on evaluation1 diagnosis1 and 
treatment4  7#aa7 ,as of ,january #a1   
#bjaj1 audiologists are categorized     
under a unique broad occupation category
 within the ,standard ,occupational     
,classification 7,,soc7 system to better
 reflect the diagnostic and treatment   
nature of the services they provide4    
#c4  ,enabling medicare beneficiaries to
 have their choice of qualified hearing 
health care providers  ,section         
#ahfa7ll77#c7 of the ,social ,security  

,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #aciex7ll77#c77 is  
amended by inserting before the period  
at the end the following3 1 without     
regard to any requirement that the      
individual receiving the audiology      
services be under the care of 7or       
referred by7 a physician or other health
 care practitioner or that such services
 are provided under the supervision of a
 physician or other health care         
practitioner4  #d4  ,inclusion of       
audiology services as medical services  
under medicare part ,b2 payment for such
 services  7a7  ,in general  ,section   
#ahfa7s77#b7 of the ,social ,security   
,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #aciex7s77#b77 is   
amended--  7#a7 in subparagraph 7,,ee71 
by striking and at the end2  7#b7 in    
subparagraph 7,,ff71 by inserting and at
 the end2 and  7#c7 by adding at the end
 the following new subparagraph3  7,,gg7
 audiology services 7as defined in      
subsection 7ll77#c772  4  7b7  ,payment 
under the physician fee schedule        
,section #ahdh7;j77#c7 of the ,social   

,security ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4           
#aciew-#d7;j77#c77 is amended by        
inserting 7#b77;,,gg71 before 7#c74  #e4
  ,construction2 effective date  7a7    
,construction  ,nothing in the          
amendments made by this ,act shall be   
construed to expand the scope of        
audiology services for which payment may
 be made under title ,,xviii of the     
,social ,security ,act on ,december #ca1
 #bjac4  7b7  ,effective date  ,the     
amendments made by this ,act shall take 
effect with respect to services         
furnished on or after ,january #a1      
#bjae4