A bipartisan group of U.S. senators has reintroduced the Medicare Audiology Access Improvement Act to eliminate barriers preventing Medicare beneficiaries from directly accessing care from audiologists.
The Over-the-Counter Hearing Aid Act of 2017 was introduced Monday, March 20. The reintroduced legislation is designed to make hearing aids for those with mild-to-moderate hearing loss available over the counter (OTC), and require the FDA to write regulations ensuring the new OTC category meets the same high standards for safety, consumer labeling, and manufacturing protections as all medical devices, providing consumers the option of an FDA-regulated device at lower cost.
