July 17, 2007

New Jersey families are lobbying for a bill that would require insurance companies to partially cover the cost of hearing aids for children under 15.

The bill, known as Grace’s Law, has been stalled in the New Jersey state legislature for almost eight years.

Connecticut, Maryland, Minnesota, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Rhode Island all have health insurance mandates for the hearing impaired and deaf advocacy groups hope New Jersey will soon join that list.

In 2002, New Jersey implemented a low requiring all newborns to be screened for hearing loss. But many advocates say that without health insurance mandates for hearing devices, the law is ineffective.

For more information on the bill or to sign a petition, visit graceslaw.com.

Source: Northjersey.com.