Medicare Coverage

From: MedBio - Mar 30, 2006

Medicare Coverage of Hearing Devices

March 29, 2006

Medicare through its durable equipment program covers about 80% of the cost of mobility equipment (walkers, wheel chairs, crutches, power wheel chairs, etc…); respiratory supplies (oxygen, home units, mobile units, etc…); diabetic supplies (meters, strips, etc..); home care equipment (hospital beds, etc…) and many other pieces of equipment needed for an illness or disability.

Hearing impairment is as much an illness or disability as any of the others. Eight (8%) of the population of the United States has some form of impairment. Two (2%) are profoundly deaf or extremely deaf falling below the level that hearing aids per se can be of any assistance. For these there are assistive listening devices (ALD) that will aid them in their communications with others.

Medicare MUST do one of two things - either STOP providing assistance to those that they do now OR provide similar assistance for the hard of hearing.

Durable medical equipment (DME) supplied through a Medicare-certified medical equipment supplier is covered at 80 percent of the Medicare-approved amount. This generally means that the patient or his/her secondary insurance only pays the 20 percent coinsurance. Further information can be obtained from the Medical Rights Center on the web at http://www.medicarerights.org/homecaretutorialframeset.html or at 1030 15th Street, NW Suite 250, Washington, DC 20005, Phone: 202-589-1316.

MedBio Research Centre of Honolulu, Hawaii has developed the world’s First and Only vice recognition hearing aid or assistive listening device. The system is called Speak’n Read. A non-deaf person speaks, the device converts the words to text, displays the text on its screen for the hard of hearing person to read. It provides a complete communication between the parties in real time without having to lip read, sign or pass notes. For complete information go to the web at www.medbio.com.

MedBio is now processing Medicare claims for the Speak ‘n Read device.

If you arer a hard of hearing person, or an organization that services hard of hearing people we would appreciate your support. To offer it please sen an email to leelewellen@hawaii.rr.com.