Age limit on mandated hearing aid insurance coverage in Minnesota eliminated

BY SEBASTIAN STUDIER PRESS INTERN

Thanks in large part to Dr. Rebecca Younk, an audiologist and governmental chair for the Minnesota Academy of Audiology, hearing aid insurance coverage is now available to all people in Minnesota, regardless of age. Younk owns 21 audiology clinics throughout the metro area, Wisconsin and West Central Minnesota, including Beltone Hearing Aid Center in White Bear Lake.

As of May 24, in Minnesota’s most recent Omnibus bill, section 62Q.675, the language that once read “a health plan must cover hearing aids for all individuals 18 years of age or younger for hearing loss,” now reads without the “18 years of age or younger” part. The broke college students, middle-aged parents unable to hear their children, and anyone else struggling to afford hearing aids across Minnesota are now able to receive the help they need.

This issue is something Younk holds deeply, because she believes that hearing is a vital part of society and something that all people should have access to. “Hearing is so critical, and it keeps us running as a society,” Younk said. “Hearing loss can break down good communication between loved ones, family members and friends.”

In 2005, Younk and her colleagues — along with the help of the Minnesota Academy of Audiology — were able to get coverage for Minnesota residents under 18 because as Younk says, “let’s face it, kids are cute.”

It has been a different story getting coverage for adults, though, as Younk and her team have been working behind the scenes since 2005 in an attempt to remove this age barrier.

Younk and other audiologists went to their lobbyist and put an entire proposal together two years ago, but were told that the bill would not go anywhere because any mandate for insurance would have to go through a fiscal policy review to see what the impact would be on the cost to the consumer and to the state. This was going to cost tens of thousands of dollars and, as a small profession, was not something that the audiologists could afford to help.

The audiologists continued to try and get coverage for those in need over 18 by finding grassroots sponsors and attempting to get enough funding for the cause.

“Out of nowhere,” the lobbyists notified Younk and her team that there were two bills coming out this year that were eliminating the age restriction, and Younk was told immediately to take action by writing a letter of support and speaking at the Capitol.

“‘Tomorrow, I’m in clinic,’” Younk remembers saying, caught off guard by the news.

Younk would come to find out that both the Department of Health and the Minnesota Commission of the Deaf, DeafBlind, and Hard of Hearing had already begun to put the bill together and had forgotten to give them a phone call. All three of the different groups would come to find that they were working individually and were not aware of the potential solution that sat in front of them.

It turned out that there was no need for a fiscal review in order for the bill to be passed, but it was simply a matter of the Department of Health looking at the federal regulations and realizing that this was discrimination. All that was required was a change in a mandate that they already had.

“I wish somebody would have told us that 10 years ago,” said Younk. “Audiologists aren’t lawyers, and we’re a small profession, so we don’t have the money to hire lawyers to look at the legal language and help push bills through.”

What then would ensue was a “mad dash” with all three different groups working together to get the bill to the point where Gov. Walz could sign off and put it into law.

“It just so happened that the stars aligned, and it went through so fast that we could all not believe it,” Younk said. “We could just not believe it after how long it took us to get there.”

Younk views this new legislation as a great benefit for a number of different Minnesota residents, from college students to older parents with worsening hearing loss who don’t always have the extra money needed to cover their own hearing costs, factoring in health expenses for children, house payments, student loan debt, car loans and all of the numerous expenses of adult life.

“For individuals where finances are tight, now to have an insurance benefit coverage to at least take part of it is tremendous,” Younk said.

This work comes as a relief to Younk. During her career as a hearing specialist, Younk has believed that health insurance companies have not viewed hearing loss as an important issue. She thinks that hearing loss has long been viewed as something that simply happens with aging and a cost that people are expected to pay out of pocket.

“It has been a barrier for many individuals with hearing loss,” Younk said. “Individuals that have a hearing aid benefit are much more likely to feel comfortable pursuing hearing care, and it’s an easier conversation with them. They feel like they don’t have to do it all on their own.” curriculum for the training and views it as a labor of love.

Sebastian Studier is an intern at Press Publications. He can be reached by calling 651-407-1200 or emailing intern1@ presspubs.com.

Wagner thinks that those who work in the industry of prosthetics are inherently driven to help others. He searches for places where he and his colleagues can really make a difference.

“There’s only so much we can do here in Minnesota, so we’re trying to make the biggest difference,” Wagner said.

Riedel thinks that the partnership formed with the Protez Foundation falls perfectly in line with the mission statement of the college, which seeks to inspire, prepare and empower students to succeed in a changing world.

“We hope it’ll continue,” Riedel said. “It’s clearly in the college mission and the mission of the health programs to prepare students to adapt to a changing world, and this is a great example of it.”

Sebastian Studier is an intern at Press Publications. He can be reached by calling 651-242-2775 or emailing intern1@presspubs.com.