SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) – Insurers in Illinois are now required to replace hearing aids for minors.
House Bill 4516 became law on Wednesday with Gov. Bruce Rauner’s signature. It mandates replacement hearing aids for each ear and covers all hearing-impaired people at age 18 or younger. Replacements are required every three years.
The law also says repairs to those hearing aids and ear examinations, fittings and adjustments to ear molds must be covered “when deemed medically necessary”. Hearing aids can carry a cost of up to $4,000.
Rauner signed the bill with 10-year-old Illiopolis boy Hunter Martin and his mother Ramona in the room. Hunter helped push for the new law by testifying in front of House and Senate committees in 2017 and 2018.
“I know Ramona and Andrew Martin and very proud of this young man, their son Hunter, who so effectively brought this matter to the attention of members of the General Assembly,” Rauner said.
He added that children with hearing impairment need working hearing aids, because failing to have them can cause them to fall behind in school and socially. State Sen. Julie Morrison (D-Deerfield) sponsored the bill in the Senate and agrees.
“Hearing aids are medically necessary for children to successfully go to school and grown,” she said. “We must ensure they are available to all children who need them.”
