The six-module online resource is designed to help audiologists, CI surgeons, and advocates protect cochlear implant coverage as OBBBA-driven Medicaid changes take effect as early as December 2026.

The American Cochlear Implant Alliance (ACI Alliance) has released a free online Medicaid toolkit aimed at equipping clinicians, patient navigators, and advocates with the information and resources needed to protect cochlear implant coverage as federal policy changes loom on the horizon.

The ACI Alliance Medicaid Toolkit is a six-module online guide covering how Medicaid financing works, the program’s role in hearing health care access, what the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) means for patients, provider billing and appeals strategies, and step-by-step guidance for engaging state policymakers. The toolkit is available at no cost at acialliance.org/page/AdvocacyToolkit.

The release comes as analysts project significant reductions to Medicaid funding in the coming decade. The OBBBA could cut up to $1 trillion in Medicaid funding over the next 10 years through new work requirements, more frequent eligibility checks, provider tax phase-downs, and other changes beginning as early as December 2026.

Medicaid covers more than 70 million Americans and nearly half of all children nationwide, making it a critical — and often sole — pathway to cochlear implant care for many families. The potential for reduced access has drawn concern from across the hearing health care community.

“Cochlear implant care is not a one-time procedure — it requires lifelong follow-up, and Medicaid is often the only pathway families have to get there. This toolkit gives advocates the facts and the tools to make sure coverage doesn’t disappear when patients need it most,” says Monica Yavrom, DDS, MPH, American Cochlear Implant Alliance, in a release.

Toolkit Modules and Target Audience

The toolkit is structured to serve a range of stakeholders across the cochlear implant care continuum. Key topics covered include how Medicaid financing and the federal match (FMAP) work, Medicaid’s role in pediatric and adult hearing health care, a module-by-module breakdown of OBBBA provisions and effective dates, billing, coding, and appeals workflows for clinics, a five-step guide to state-level advocacy, and how to connect with ACI Alliance for advocacy support.

The resource is intended for audiologists, CI surgeons, speech-language pathologists, patient navigators, hospital reimbursement teams, parent and adult CI-user advocates, and state policy champions.

The toolkit’s release follows a period of heightened advocacy activity for ACI Alliance, which has also been active in pushing for expanded Medicare coverage for cochlear implants in patients with asymmetric hearing loss. Clinics and practices looking to build more scalable cochlear implant programs may find the billing, coding, and appeals modules particularly relevant as reimbursement landscapes shift.

The ACI Alliance Medicaid Toolkit is available now at acialliance.org/page/AdvocacyToolkit.