Children in Idaho who are deaf or hard of hearing will now get their hearing aids paid for by private health insurance. The Idaho Legislature recently made the change to cover kids.
Before the rules were changed, insurance companies in Idaho were not required to pay for hearing aids for children. But parents got together with Democratic Representative Ilana Rubel last year to start the process of getting kids covered by insurance.
Gretchen Fors is a council member on the Idaho Council for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. Speaking on Idaho Matters, she says kids need hearing aids to keep up with their peers.
“It really affects their education, their ability to participate in activies, to get all they need to out of life so that’s really where the rubber meets the road is that every child deserves the opportunity to hear well and clearly, especially while they are trying to learn and grow their brains and develop,” says Fors.
Fors has three kids who are hard of hearing and says hearing aids for her kids can cost up to $5,000 each.
According to Rubel, under the new insurance rules voted on last week, the hearing aids must be deemed medically necessary. Kids can get a new hearing aid every three years, along with 45 visits of speech therapy after they get a new device. The rule change goes into effect for health insurance policies next year.
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