November 2021 Advocacy Update

Audiologists Score Major Victories in House Passed Bill

The U.S. House of Representatives passed the Build Back Better Act (H.R. 5376), which adds new hearing health care benefits under Medicare. If enacted into law, the bill would require Medicare to cover both audiology diagnostic and treatment services—for the first time in the program’s history—and reclassify audiologists as practitioners, adding them to the list of eligible telehealth providers. As the bill moves forward to the Senate for consideration, ASHA is working with the American Academy of Audiology (AAA) and the Academy of Doctors of Audiology (ADA) to advocate for further improvements.

New Bill Would Address Medicare Payment Cuts

Representatives Ami Bera (D-CA) and Larry Bucshon (R-IN) have introduced the Supporting Medicare Providers Act of 2021 (H.R. 6620), which would extend current relief from Medicare Part B payment cuts through next year. ASHA has aggressively advocated to preserve Medicare payments, and led successful efforts to mitigate reductions to Medicare reimbursement last year. Help ASHA Fight the Cut by taking action now!

Committee Approves Newborn Hearing Screening Bill

The House Energy and Commerce Committee passed the Early Hearing Detection and Intervention Act (H.R. 5561), which reauthorizes federally supported state-based newborn hearing screening programs. The Committee also adopted an amendment recommended by ASHA to require a Government Accountability Office study on ways to reduce disparities and improve connection to follow-up services among those from historically underserved populations. The bill could be considered by the House soon. Support funding for this critical program now!

Full Funding Bill for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Reintroduced

Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) and Representative Jared Huffman (D-CA) have reintroduced the bipartisan IDEA Full Funding Act (S. 3213/H.R. 5984). This important legislation would establish a ten-year glidepath to ensure that the federal government meets its commitment to pay 40% of the average per pupil expenditure for special education. Contact your members of Congress and ask them to support IDEA full funding!

Allied Health Workforce Diversity Act Passes Committee

The House Energy and Commerce Committee unanimously approved the Allied Health Workforce Diversity Act (H.R. 3320), clearing its way for consideration by the full House of Representatives. Strongly supported by ASHA, this legislation would create a federal grant program to provide funds to accredited audiology and speech-language pathology programs to recruit, retain, and graduate students from underrepresented and disadvantaged backgrounds. Similar programs have shown to positively impact diversifying the professions and addressing provider shortages in underserved areas. Take action now to support this critical legislation!

What ASHA’s Working On:

ASHA Releases 2022 Public Policy Agenda

The 2022 Public Policy Agenda identifies the advocacy priorities for the Association with a focus on ensuring that the value of the professions is adequately reflected in rapidly evolving laws, regulations, and payment policies. The 2022 Public Policy Agenda becomes operative in January. ASHA staff will be identifying concrete objectives to achieve that meaningfully advance each priority in the current political and fiscal environment.

2022 Medicare Fee Schedule Analysis

ASHA's 2022 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS) resources for audiologists [PDF] and speech-language pathologists (SLPs) [PDF] are now available. The MPFS establishes Medicare Part B policies and payment rates for outpatient audiology and speech-language pathology services. Significant policies addressed include impending payment cuts, new codes, telehealth services, and quality reporting. The documents also provide 2022 national payment rates, as well as 2021 rates for comparison to help audiologists and SLPs estimate the impact of the payment cuts.

Indiana Regulations to Improve Working Conditions for School-Based Members

A rule change in Indiana could help school based SLPs better manage their caseloads. During a meeting with members of the Indiana licensure board, the Indiana Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ISHA), and their lobbyist, ASHA presented draft regulatory language for the licensure board to consider. ISHA is planning to meet with the Indiana Department of Education to discuss the proposal.

FYI:

National Conference of State Legislatures Annual Conference

ASHA and leadership from the Florida Association of Speech-Language Pathologists & Audiologists exhibited during the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) annual conference in Tampa, FL where they met with state legislators throughout the U.S. Legislators from 11 different states expressed an interest in pursuing the Audiology & Speech-Language Pathology Interstate Compact legislation.

Student Advocacy Grants Awarded to State Associations

Each year, ASHA offers grants to state associations to support efforts to engage undergraduate and graduate students in state advocacy efforts. This year ASHA awarded 10 student advocacy grants to the following state associations Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nevada, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, and Virginia.

Thank You ASHA-PAC Donors!

ASHA-PAC thanks all the donors who have already given for the 2022 fundraising year. Be on the lookout for information on upcoming ASHA-PAC events. Learn more about ASHA-PAC.

What is ASHA Advocacy? Speaking out personally and professionally for making effective communication, a human right, accessible and achievable for all.

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Learn more about ASHA’s advocacy priorities in the 2021 Public Policy Agenda.