Priorities include the Stop CMV Act, Ally’s Act, and Medicare physician reimbursement reform.
Members of the American Academy of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery (AAO-HNS) will meet with lawmakers on Capitol Hill on March 11 for the organization’s Congressional Advocacy Day. Representing more than 13,000 ear, nose, and throat physicians, the surgeons will discuss legislative priorities aimed at improving patient access to hearing healthcare and other specialized services.
“Our members are coming to Washington from across the country because their patients are counting on them — newborns who need hearing screening, a parent navigating a head and neck cancer diagnosis, adults with chronic conditions that only a qualified ENT surgeon can treat,” says Gene Brown, MD, RPh, AAO-HNS president, in a release. “Each of these priorities has a face and a story, and this week Congress will get to hear them directly from the physicians at the frontlines of care in their districts.”
Hearing Health Legislative Priorities
The AAO-HNS is urging Congress to pass two key bills related to hearing health. The Stop CMV Act (HR 5435 / S 2842) would provide funding for universal newborn screening for congenital cytomegalovirus (cCMV), the leading non-genetic cause of hearing loss.
The Academy is also supporting Ally’s Act (HR 4606 / S 3400), which would require private insurers to cover bone-anchored hearing aids and cochlear implants to ensure patient access to these devices is not determined by finances or location.
Medicare Reimbursement
Another priority for the group is Medicare physician reimbursement. The AAO-HNS is asking Congress to pass the Strengthening Medicare for Patients and Providers Act (HR 6160), which aims to ensure patients can continue to see the specialists they need within their communities.
“When otolaryngologist-head and neck surgeons engage Congress directly, they bring something no one else can — the lived experience of their patients,” says Rahul K Shah, MD, MBA, AAO-HNS executive vice president and CEO, in a release.
Forty otolaryngologist-head and neck surgeons from 20 states are scheduled to participate in the advocacy event, with nearly half of them engaging in congressional advocacy for the first time.
