News release
The Department of Managed Health Care has agreed with Sen. Suzette Martinez Valladares, R-Acton, and Sen. Shannon Grove, R-Bakersfield, that a hearing exam and hearing aids benefit is a priority for adding to the state’s essential health benefits benchmark plan.
In February, Valladares sent a letter to the DMHC urging the inclusion of hearing aid coverage for middle-class children and adults as a top priority in the updated benchmark plan.
Low-income children already receive coverage through Medi-Cal or the California Children’s Services programs.
“Hearing aids are not just tools, they are bridges to a world of communication, unlocking opportunities for children to connect, learn, and grow while experiencing the world around them,” Valladares, vice chair of the Health Committee and a co-signer of the letter to the DMHC, said in a news release. “For many children, hearing aids are a significant quality of life issue, allowing them to better function at home and in school. I’m grateful that this benefit will be included in the benchmark plan.”
The federal Affordable Care Act requires individual and small group plans to cover 10 broad categories of “essential health benefits,” including primary care, hospital services, prescription drugs, and emergency and urgent care service. Within those categories, states have discretion in selecting which specific services will be “benchmarks” its plans must cover. California adopted its current benchmark plan in 2015 and is now working on updating it.
The state’s updated plan, which along with the hearing aids benefit includes two other proposed benefits, will be submitted by early May to the federal government for final approval.
