ASHA Advocate: May 19, 2022
May 19, 2022
The Top Line
Primaries in several states this past week have kicked the 2022 mid-term campaign season into high gear. This will likely impact the ability of Congress to advance legislation in the coming months, raising the possibility of large packages of bills being moved in late November or early December. Many state legislatures have adjourned for the year. ASHA will continue to find opportunities to move our priorities. You are essential in this effort! Please take 5 minutes to advocate during the remainder of Better Hearing and Speech Month!
Newborn Hearing Screening Bill Introduced in Senate
Sens. Rob Portman (R-OH), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Bill Cassidy (R-LA), and John Hickenlooper (D-CO) introduced S. 4052, the Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) Act of 2022. This legislation would reauthorize federal grant funding for EHDI programs operated independently by each state and territory. The House passed a similar bill last year. ASHA is advocating for appropriate funding to ensure newborns receive timely screening, diagnosis, and intervention, and a study to report on disparities follow-up services. Take action by emailing your Senators and asking them to support these efforts!
House Committee Advances Bill Supporting School-Based Medicaid Reimbursement
The House Energy and Commerce Committee advanced legislation, H.R. 7233, which includes a provision requiring the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to update its Medicaid school-based administrative claiming guide to facilitate reimbursement for Medicaid-eligible services provided in schools. The bill is now ready for consideration by the House of Representatives.
Working for You
- ASHA submitted testimonies voicing support on increased funding for both EHDI [PDF] and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, and highlighted the importance for creating technical assistance centers within the U.S. Department of Education [PDF], which would support service delivery by educational audiologists and school-based SLPs. Take action today by asking your elected officials to support IDEA funding and technical assistance centers.
- CMS released an updated regulation that applies to marketplace/exchange plans. The rule goes into effect on July 1, 2022, and includes changes to help strengthen coverage, including several of ASHA’s recommendations [PDF].
- Reps. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) and Betty McCollum (D-MN) sent a letter to U.S. Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Robert Califf expressing concerns about the proposed regulations for over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aids. The letter supports ASHA’s recommendations to the FDA [PDF] including a gain limit of 25 dB and overall output limit of 110 dB.
- ASHA representatives attended the American Medical Association's Relative Value Update Committee and CPT Editorial Panel meetings to represent the interests of ASHA members in the code development and valuation process. Learn more about ASHA’s engagement in the code development and valuation process, which informs Medicare Part B coding and payment policies.
Spotlight!
We warmly recognize ASHA’s Vice President for Government Affairs and Public Policy Doanne Ward-Williams, MEd, CCC-SLP. We thank Doanne for volunteering her time with ASHA and for her tireless commitment and passion toward advocacy and ASHA-PAC!
