What Health Care Reform Means For The Deaf

I'm deaf with a cochlear implant. I was implanted back in 1989 when I was seven years old, and I've had the same implant for over 20 years now. That's 20 years of listening, talking, and relying on the cochlear implant, and I don't know what I would do if my implant failed after all these years.

In that scenario, I'd have to fight for pre-authorization of the cochlear implant surgery, face potential denials of that pre-authorization request, get an attorney or work with an advocacy organization in order to get them to authorize the request for coverage. And I could be denied right off the bat for having a "pre-existing condition" due to my deafness.

Imagine that, being told that my deafness, which makes up a huge part of my identity, is a "pre-existing condition" which I could be denied access to care for. Many deaf and hard of hearing Americans face that same situation. They go to advocacy organizations, and rely on their cochlear implant provider to fight the insurance companies, and that takes time before they finally can get insurance approval for the cochlear implant surgery.

It's not just deaf people with cochlear implants that this happens to. It happens to deaf and hard of hearing Americans who fight to get hearing aid coverage granted by their private insurers along with reimbursement for the costs of additional services such as speech therapy, audiology, and skills development in American Sign Language (ASL). These should be an essential part of health care reform for deaf and hard of hearing Americans. For too long, deaf and hard of hearing Americans and their families have had to bear the whole cost of hearing aids, speech therapy, and development of skills in ASL.

Most insurance companies don't offer comprehensive coverage specifically for deaf people as a part of their health benefit packages. They have a limit on how often you can see your audiologist, therapist, and specify which type of hearing aid you can qualify for. So you are limited by what kind of hearing aid device is deemed to be "medically necessary" by your private insurer, not by your doctor. They are also not mandated legally to offer this sort of benefit and coverage to deaf and hard of hearing Americans, so what they are offering in terms of services is optional.

Families of deaf and hard of hearing Americans need to have continued access to family-to-family support services, ASL services and resources, speech therapy, and other related support services for their deaf and hard of hearing infants, toddlers, and children. It's why the Early Hearing Detection and Intervention Act should be reauthorized so deaf and hard of hearing children can benefit tremendously from having access to needed resources. This helps make the transition for hearing families easier in having a deaf child once they have the support and services they need in order to see a bright future ahead of their deaf child.

Also, deaf and hard of hearing Americans need open access to health care as patients at hospitals, doctors' clinics, and other areas. They shouldn't be ignored, or have their relatives sub as "interpreters" when the hospital or doctor refuses to pay for interpreter services as a part of reasonable accommodations. We should contact the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to increase enforcement actions to ensure access to routine and emergency care in person and by telephone, which supports a deaf or hard of hearing American's choice of effective language and communication mode. As a member of the National Association for the Deaf, I am proud of the work that NAD is doing in working to ensure open access to health care for deaf patients at hospitals, doctors' clinics, and other areas.

Tired of having to fight private insurers in order to get coverage? Here's how you can start to change the system for deaf and hard of hearing Americans and their families by helping to fight for comprehensive health reform:

1. Call the White House at 202-456-1111, or their TTY line at 202-456-6213. You can e-mail the White House as well. 2. Find your Representative and your Senators to e-mail, call, and fax in support of health care reform.

Follow the grassroots movement at @NADTweets at Twitter!

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Comments

[tarnold-]

I am writing to comment on Noelle Perese's article "What Health Care Reform Means for the Deaf." I want everyone to know that Noelle's assumptions about improvements in healthcare for the deaf under a government program couldn't be further from reality. Having worked as a senior executive in the Cochlear Implant industry for more than eight years now in a global capacity, I can say with absolute certainty that NO government plan (Oregon, TN, CA, France, England or Canada) provides the coverage and access to hearing services that the average private plan in the US offers. All government plans mandate fewer audiologist visits, decreased reimbursement for audiologists and devices and less access to care for the deaf. I have worked both sides and commissioned large scale studies. There's no dispute. Government care provides lower quality and reduced access--and unfortunately, there's virtually NO appeal.

Although I do agree we need significant reform and less government interference in our private payer system, it's amongst the best in the world. Yes, it does need improvements, but don't be fooled by a government panacea. Do you want the people who brought you the IRS, Amtrak, DMV and TSA to provide you healthcare? Neither do I. It will guarantee less access and virtually NO choice and NO appeal. I'm pro-choice and so should you be.

TA

[Noelle Cigarroa Perese - Huffpost Blogger]

Actually, cochlear implantation and services is covered under Medicare, Tricare, Medicaid, and under most private health insurance plans under FEHBP. You missed my main point which is that cochlear implant coverage and services are currently optional for private insurance health plans. Thus private insurance companies can decide to severely limit or cut coverage for cochlear implants and hearing aid devices with no public feedback or accountability. The public plans such as Medicare, TriCare, Medicaid, and the private insurance plans under FEHBP are held to a higher standard of accountability than private health insurance plans.

[Noelle Cigarroa Perese - Huffpost Blogger]

Also, a large part of health care reform is the ban on pre-existing conditions and ban on recission policies. This would help deaf and hard of hearing Americans keep and get their health insurance coverage. Right now, the legislation does not specifically mention what sort of medical coverage is necessary for deaf Americans as that determination is left up to the HHS Commissioner.

Hence we'd have to lobby the HHS Commissioner to determine the rule-making for that.

[Noelle Cigarroa Perese - Huffpost Blogger]

I'm here to answer any questions you might have about how health care reform impacts the deaf and other disabled groups.