A letter from nearly 200 pediatricians, audiologists, educators, advocates, and parents of deaf and hard of hearing children urging support of the Let California Kids Hear Act was sent to Gov. Gavin Newsom and California legislators. The Act would expand access to hearing aids to thousands of families across the state by requiring commercial health insurance coverage to hearing aids for children.
Read the letter and see who signed on below:
May 19, 2023
The Honorable Gavin Newsom
Re: Support for the Let California Kids Hear Act
Dear Governor Newsom,
We are writing to urge you to adopt the Let California Kids Hear Act in the Fiscal Year 2023-24 budget. This proposal would require coverage of children’s hearing aids and services by health plans to best address what experts describe as a developmental emergency in the state of California.
In 1998 California passed a mandate for Newborn Hearing Screening, acknowledging the urgent need to screen, diagnose and provide intervention for deaf and hard of hearing children. Yet today access to hearing aids for children is not mandated.
More than thirty states mandate hearing aid coverage for children in commercial plans and/or the essential health benefit state exchange. California is not one of them. Commercial health insurance plans are not required to cover hearing aids for kids, and as a result, only 1 in 10 families on privately funded health plans in California have some coverage.
In 2019 the Legislature addressed this coverage gap by unanimously passing the Let California Kids Hear bill (AB 598, Bloom) that would have required commercial insurance to cover children’s hearing aids and services. In lieu of signing the mandate into law at that time, your administration offered funding for an alternative program administered by the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) and MAXIMUS. On July 1, 2021, DHCS launched the Hearing Aid Coverage for Children Program (HACCP) to help families in California with incomes under 600% of the federal poverty level afford hearing aids for their children.
Unfortunately, HACCP has not solved the problem. After nearly two years, with $32.8 M budgeted (one-third for administration), less than 200 of the estimated 7,000 children who need assistance with hearing aids have benefited from HACCP. Few pediatric providers are participating due to historically low reimbursement rates and high administrative burdens creating poor geographic coverage, segmented care, and barriers that are difficult to overcome. Too few children have been able to take advantage of HACCP, and unfortunately that is being used to justify an 83% reduction in program funding for HACCP services. California is not alone in these challenges as Georgia tried a similar program and failed, ultimately passing a mandate in 2018.
The Let California Kids Hear Act of 2023 is a policy approach that would allow families to use their commercial plans supporting access to local providers within their medical homes, reducing delays in accessing care, and improving outcomes for kids. The Let California Kids Hear Act would also be a smarter deployment of state resources, as it would significantly reduce the state’s potential expenditures from over $16 million for HACCP to $3.4 million annually if the state is required to defray the cost of coverage for children enrolled in the Covered California marketplace.
Children who need hearing aids are a vulnerable population, and lack of early treatment has negative and permanent consequences. As Dr. Dylan Chan MD, PhD, Associate Professor of Pediatric Otolaryngology at the University of California, San Francisco has succinctly put it, “Pediatric hearing loss is considered a developmental emergency requiring timely intervention to prevent permanent delays. These preventable consequences are not only devastating for the child and family; they are costly to society”. Children who get started with hearing aids within 3 to 6 months of age can develop at the same rate as their hearing peers, demonstrating the importance of early intervention.
California must ensure that deaf and hard of hearing children have timely access to intervention, consistent with the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Center for Disease and Control (CDC), American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), and Joint Commission on Infant Hearing (JCIH) benchmarks for intervention. As part of this year’s state budget, we urge you to join with your colleagues in the Senate and Assembly to Let California Kids Hear.
Sincerely,
Karmi Ferguson, Executive Director, American Academy of Pediatrics, California
Judith Wassermann, Speech Language Pathologist, American Speech and Hearing Association
Joni Alberg, Public Policy and Chapter Development Consultant, AG Bell Association for the Deaf or Hard of Hearing
Julie Cooper, Executive Director, Baker Institute for Children with Hearing Loss
Amy Blumberg, Director of Government Relations, California Children’s Hospital Association
Rosabel Agbayani, MPH, Board President, California Hands & Voices
Kasey Cain, Doctor of Audiology Student at CSUS, DHH Parent, Astra Educational Parent Advocate, California Hands & Voices
Nancy Grosz Sager, Retired Deaf and Hard of Hearing Consultant, California Department of Education, California Hands & Voices
Marissa Weiss, California Hands & Voices ASTra Educational Parent Advocate, California Hands & Voices
Cora Shahid, Executive Director, Parent of Two DHH Children, California Hands & Voices
Alaina Bassett AuD, PhD, Assistant Professor, California State University Los Angeles
Milan Grewal, Doctor of Audiology Student at CSUS, California State University Sacramento
Sara Benanti-Atiyat, Doctor of Audiology Student at CSUS, California State University Sacramento
Bella Brown-Quigley, Doctor of Audiology Student at CSUS, California State University, Sacramento
Paige Furnary, Doctor of Audiology Student at CSUS, California State University, Sacramento
Roderick Aviles, Programmer Analyst, Celerity Consulting Group
Cindy Dickeson, President & CEO, Center for Early Intervention on Deafness
Mike Odeh, Senior Director of Health, Children Now
Terry Smith, Teacher of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, Children’s Choice for Hearing and Talking (CCHAT)
Katie Layton, Director of Government Affairs and Programs, Children’s Specialty Care Coalition
Melissa Kelley, Teacher of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, Children’s Choice for Hearing and Talking
Jay Bhatt, Pediatric Otolaryngologist, Childrens Hospital Orange County
Haleigh Salvage, Teacher of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, Conejo Valley Unified School District
Karen Hannigan, Teacher of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, Conejo Valley Unified School District
Amanda Morris, DHH specialist, Conejo Valley Unified School District
Carolyn Collins, Educational Audiologist, Covina-Valley Unified School District
Margaret Winter, Clinic Director, Instructor, CSULA, Doctor of Audiology Program
Nick Lutton, Program Manager, Family Voices of California
Andrea Nevin, Substitute Teacher, FCPS
Courtney Armstrong, Director of Government Affairs, First 5 Association of California
Kitty Lopez, Executive Director, First 5 San Mateo County
Jennifer Kelleher Cloyd, Executive Director, First 5 Santa Clara
John Thomas, Teacher of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, Fremont Unified School District
Kathleen King, CEO, Healthier Kids Foundation
Bryce Docherty, Lobbyist, Hearing Healthcare Providers of California
Reynita Alcisto, Clinical Director, House Children’s Hearing Center
Gladys Diaz-Garcia, Pediatric Audiologist, House Children’s Hearing Center
Claire Erickson, Operations Manager, House Children’s Hearing Center
Cynthia Canche, Patient Care Coordinator, House Children’s Hearing Center
Claudia Villegas-Avalos, Patient Navigator, House Children’s Hearing Center
Jeremy Sidell, Executive Director, House Institute Foundation
Hannah Frabk, Development Manager, House Institute Foundation
Diane Sands, Program Manager Family Services, House Institute Foundation
Christina Reaves, Director of Research Administration, House Institute Foundation
John Galvin, Research Scientist, House Institute Foundation
Kristina Bolt, Research Coordinator, House Institute Foundation
Brittany Mattison, Clinical Research Coordinator, House Institute Foundation
Mahta Marefat, Clinical Research Coordinator, House Institute Foundation
Michael McGinnis, Educational American Sign Language Interpreter, Interpreter for San Francisco Unified School District
Cathleen Mathes, President & CEO, John Tracy Center
Jerry Dietrick, Board Member, John Tracy Clinic
Kelly Jenkins, Founder, Let America Hear, Let America Hear
Marie, Child Advocate, Let California Kids Hear
Michelle Marciniak, MPH, Co-Chair, Co-Founder, Let California Kids Hear
Brooke Phillips, AuD, Pediatric Audiologist, Let California Kids Hear
Baishakhi Choudhury, MD/Assistant Professor, Loma Linda University Medical Center
Tiffany Sherman, Au.D., Educational Audiologist, Riverview Hearing, Speech and Language Centers
Stephanie Pogorelsky, Educational Audiologist, Los Angeles Unified School District
Rima Zahr Baumberger, Au.D., CCC-A, Educational Audiologist, Los Angeles Unified School District
Layla Sweeney, Educational Audiologist, Los Angeles Unified School District
Lauren Sandberg, Educational Audiologist, Los Angeles Unified School District
Susan Diaz Rempel, Educational Audiologist, Los Angeles Unified School District
Angela Ross, Educational Audiologist, Los Angeles Unified School District
Carolina Hernandez, Teacher of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, Los Angeles Unified School District
Deanna Dowling, Teacher of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, Los Angeles Unified School District
Ashley Whitelaw, Teacher for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, Los Angeles Unified School District
Gwen Severance AuD, Educational Audiologist, Los Angeles Unified School District
Alyssa Soto, Teacher of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, Los Angeles Unified School District
Shannon Sayer, DHH Preschool Teacher, Los Angeles Unified School District
Michelle Hu, Pediatric Audiologist and Adult Hearing Amplification User, Mama Hu Hears
Melissa Wolny, DHH Itinerant teacher, Marin County Office of Education
Lynn Kersey, Executive Director, Maternal and Child Health Access
Kimber Graham, Doctor of Audiology, Mountain View Los Altos Union High School District
Michelle Barto, Trustee, Newport-Mesa Unified School District
Dr. Michelle Christie, Founder, Executive Director, No Limits for Deaf Children and Families
Brittany Dorn, Teacher of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, Palms Elementary, Los Angeles
Kristen Gauthier, Teacher of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, PCOE
Christina Barbao, Educational Audiologist, Placer County Office of Education
Alexis Karcic, Teacher of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, Placer County Office of Education
Josie Clark, Teacher of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, Placer County office of education
Joan Hewitt, Pediatric Audiologist, Project TALK
Richard Marciniak, Board Member, Providence Holy Cross & St. Joseph Medical Centers
Laura Owens, School Psychologist, PUHSD
Vijay Patel, Associate Physician, Rady Children’s Hospital
Christy Kirsch AuD, Clinical Audiologist, San Diego State University
Jennifer Herges, Special Education Supervisor for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Programs, San Francisco Unified School District
Leslie Manjarrez, Teacher of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, San Francisco Unified School District
Krissy Altmayer, Teacher of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, San Francisco Unified School District
Francisco Morales-O’Connor, Spanish Teacher, San Francisco Unified School District
Michelle Titmus, Teacher, San Francisco Unified School District
Kayla Ward, Speech Language Pathologist, San Francisco Unified School District
Edina Atanos, Au.D., CCC-A, Educational Audiologist, Santa Clara County Office of Education
Daisey Jacob, Audiologist, Santa Clara County Office of Education
Joshua Cheung, Educational Audiologist, Santa Clara County Office of Education
Mimi Blazek, Teacher of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, Santa Clara County Office of Education
Jennifer Tucker, Educational Audiologist, Santa Clara County Office of Education
Heather Bissett, Educational Audiologist, Santa Clara County Office of Education
Erin Nokes, Au.D., Early Intervention Audiologist, Santa Clara County Office of Education
Lenore Williams, Teacher of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, Santa Clara County Office of Education
Melissa Maddux, School Psychologist, School District
Crystal Smith, Analyst, Sonoma County
Alexya Dykins, Teacher of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, Sonoma County Office of Education
Jamie Glater, Au.D., Educational Audiologist, Southwest SELPA
Kelsey Goldberg, Audiologist, Southwest SELPA
Claudine Larson Tuttle, Educational Audiologist, Southwest SELPA
Michaelann Boyle, Education Specialist, Special Education PUHSD
Jerry G. McGee, Past Chairman Nom/Gov Committee Board of Directors, Special Olympics Southern California
Veronica Koo, Clinical Pediatric Audiologist, Stanford Children’s Health
Paolo Cordero, Audiologist, Sutter Health Palo Alto Medical Foundation
Nicole Burgis-Molina, Audiologist, Sutter Health Palo Alto Medical Foundation
Kelly Tremmel-Howell, AuD, CCC-A, Pediatric Audiologist, Sutter Medical Foundation
Clayton Bradley, Teacher of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, The Academy—SF @ McAteer
Katherine Isbell, Director of Audiology, The CCHAT Center
Janae Lallement, Teacher of the Deaf, The CCHAT Center
Kristen Golden Testa, Health Policy Director, The Children’s Partnership
Kylie McLaughlin Au.D, Senior Audiologist, UC Davis
Mackenzie Koven Quinn, Au.D,, Senior Audiologist, UC Davis
Jamie Funamura, MD, MPH, Associate Professor of Pediatric Otolaryngology, UC Davis Children’s Hospital
Robert J. Ivory, Au.D., Director of Audiology, UC Davis Health
Steven Zurawski, Senior Audiologist, UC Davis Health Audiology
Audrey Bracchi, Senior Pediatric Audiologist, UC Davis Medical Center, Sacramento
Anthony Magit, Clinical Professor of Otolaryngology, UC San Diego
Jason Carr, Pediatric Audiologist, UC San Francisco
Denise Kidd-Conover, Senior Audiologist, UCLA Medical Center
Akira Ishiyama, Professor of Otolaryngology, UCLA School of Medicine
Daniela Carvalho, MD, FAAP, MMM, Pediatric Otolaryngologist, UCSD/ Rady Childrens and AAP Early Hearing Detection and Intervention California Champion
Dylan Chan, MD, PHD, FAAP, Professor, Pediatric Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, UCSF and AAP Early Hearing Detection and Intervention California Champion
Jacqueline Weinstein, Pediatric Otolaryngologist, UCSF
Grace Banik, Assistant Professor, UCSF
David Perez, Clinical Research and Program Coordinator, UCSF
Chiara Scarpelli, Pediatric Speech-Language Pathologist, UCSF
Jordan Virbalas, Associate Professor of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, UCSF
Jennifer Albon, MD, Pediatrician, UCSF
Silvia Bellfort Salinas, LCSW, UCSF
Kimberly Luu, Pediatric Otolaryngologist, UCSF
Maura Granados Duncan, Family Nurse Practitioner, UCSF
Rachel Douglas, Audiologist, UCSF
Gregory Hobbs, Audiologist, UCSF
Kayla Kolhede, Speech-Language Pathologist, Listening and Spoken Language Specialist, UCSF
Sabina Yungert, Pediatric Dispensing Audiologist, UCSF
Elizabeth Navarro, Audiology Assistant, UCSF
Priscilla Giler, Senior Audiologist, UCSF
Michelle Wong, Clinical Research Coordinator, UCSF
Pamela Chan, Physician Associate, UCSF
Troy Cascia, Audiologist, UCSF
Melissa De Guzman, Ambulatory Practice Manager, UCSF Audiology
Sarah Coulthurst, Pediatric Cochlear Implant Audiologist, UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland
Alison Nachman, Pediatric Cochlear Implant Audiologist, UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland
Breanna Reed, Audiologist, UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland
Jenna Morishita, Pediatric Audiologist, UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland
Rebecca Richards, Pediatric Audiologist, UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland
Lisa Rose, Pediatric Audiologist, UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland
Molly Walker, Speech/Language Pathologist & Auditory Verbal Therapist, UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland
Haerim Ham, Audiology Program Coordinator, UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland
Heather Stenger, Audiologist, UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland
Kristina W. Rosbe, Professor of Pediatric Otolaryngology, UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland
Kendyl Naugle, Clinical Research Coordinator, UCSF Medical Center
Consuelo Mesta, Practice Coordinator 3, UCSF Medical Center
Suzanne Petersen, Physician Assistant, UCSF Medical Center
Jose Vargas, Policy Manager, United Ways of California
Jenny Stephans, Lead Clinical Research Coordinator/Program Coordinator, University of California – San Francisco
Elina Kari, Associate Professor, Surgeon, University of California San Diego
Theresa Guo, MD, University of California San Diego
David Hom, MD, Professor, University of California San Diego
Erika Zettner, Clinical Professor, Audiology, University of California, San Diego
Payal Anand, Director, Audiology. Asst Clinical Professor, Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, University of California, San Francisco
Debra Schrader, Ed.D. LSLS Cert AVT, University of Southern California
Emerson Miller, Doctor of Audiology Student, University of the Pacific
Alyssa Cook, Pediatric Audiologist, USC Caruso Family Center
Kristina Rousso, Pediatric Audiologist, USC Caruso Family Center for Childhood Communication
Daniel Duran, Pediatric Audiologist, Valley Children’s Hospital
Noel Netzhammer, Audiologist, Valley Children’s Hospital
Kyle Robinette D.O., Pediatric Otolaryngologist. Medical Director, Cochlear Implant Center, Valley Children’s Hospital
Molly Hale, Audiologist, Valley Children’s Hospital
Cheyenne LeBlanc, Audiologist, Valley Children’s Hospital
Sabrina Carabarin, Pediatric Dispensing Audiologist, Valley Childrens Hospital
Patrick Roberts, Clinical Research Associate, Vitalant Research Institute
Sara Cline, Speech-Language Pathologist, Weingarten Children’s Center
Caroline Montgomery, Teacher of the Deaf and Listening & Spoken Language Specialist, Weingarten Children’s Center
Lisa Marcacci, Audiologist, Weingarten Children’s Center
Eryn McHan, Speech Language Pathologist, Weingarten Children’s Center
Addy V Davis, Flexible Case Management Supervisor, WellSpace Health
Linda Nguy, Senior Policy Advocate, Western Center on Law and Poverty
Shannon Brintnall, Teacher of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, William S Hart Union High School District
Kristen Clark, Parent of DHH Child
Brandie Oros, Nurse Practitioner
Jannine Larky, Audiologist
Jacky Rylance, RN
Amelia Arellano, Practice Coordinator
Jean Manning, Retired Teacher of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing
DeBorah J Harris, Early Childhood Special Educator
Amy Vargo-Kite, Educational Audiologist
Katherine James, Parent of DHH Child
Johanna Wonderly, Parent & Advocate
Pamela Hart, Parent of DHH Child
Jonathan Hart, Parent of DHH Child
Melissa Heitman, Teacher & Parent of DHH Child
Affiliations listed for identification purposes
CC:
Senator Toni G. Atkins, Senate President Pro Tempore
Senator Nancy Skinner, Chair, Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Committee
Senator Roger Niello, Vice Chair, Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Committee
Senator Caroline Menjivar, Chair, Senate Budget Sub 3
Senator Brian Jones, Senate Minority Leader
Assemblymember Anthony Rendon, Assembly Speaker
Assemblymember Philip Y. Ting, Chair, Assembly Budget Committee
Assemblymember Vince Fong, Vice Chair, Assembly Budget Committee
Assemblymember Dr. Joaquin Arambula, Chair, Assembly Budget Sub 1
Assemblymember James Gallagher, Assembly Minority Leader
Secretary Mark Ghaly, MD, MPH, California Health & Human Services
Michelle Baass, Director, California Department of Health Care Services
First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom