[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2352 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







110th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 2352

  To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide Medicare 
 beneficiaries greater choice with regard to accessing hearing health 
                         services and benefits.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           November 14, 2007

 Mr. Johnson (for himself, Mr. Coleman, Mr. Harkin, and Mr. Menendez) 
introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the 
                          Committee on Finance

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide Medicare 
 beneficiaries greater choice with regard to accessing hearing health 
                         services and benefits.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Medicare Hearing Health Care 
Enhancement Act of 2007''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) Approximately 30,000,000 Americans experience some 
        degree of hearing loss and by 2030 that number is expected to 
        increase to 78,000,000 Americans.
            (2) Hearing impairment is one of the most common conditions 
        affecting older adults, with approximately 33 percent of 
        Americans aged 60 years and over, and 40 to 50 percent of those 
        aged 75 years and older, experiencing hearing loss.
            (3) Hearing loss is a major barrier to participating in 
        society, both economically and socially.
            (4) Hearing loss among senior citizens, if left untreated, 
        can result in isolation and depression.
            (5) The Department of Veterans Affairs allows veterans to 
        directly access audiologists and has reported that this policy, 
        adopted in 1992, provides high-quality, efficient, and cost-
        effective hearing care.
            (6) The Office of Personnel Management allows Federal 
        employees and Members of Congress to directly access 
        audiologists through the Federal Employees Health Benefits 
        Program.
            (7) Audiologists are licensed in each State and the 
        District of Columbia and the scope of services furnished by 
        audiologists is determined by each such jurisdiction involved.
            (8) Consistency in Federal policy with respect to hearing 
        health care services should be encouraged to the greatest 
        extent possible.

SEC. 3. ENABLING MEDICARE BENEFICIARIES TO HAVE THEIR CHOICE OF 
              QUALIFIED HEARING HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS.

    Section 1861(ll)(2) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 
1395x(ll)(2)) is amended by inserting before the period at the end the 
following: ``, without regard to any requirement that the individual 
receiving the audiology services be under the care of (or referred by) 
a physician or other health care practitioner or that such services are 
provided under the supervision of a physician or other health care 
practitioner''.

SEC. 4. INCLUSION OF AUDIOLOGY SERVICES AS MEDICAL SERVICES UNDER 
              MEDICARE PART B; PAYMENT FOR SUCH SERVICES.

    (a) In General.--Section 1861(s)(2) of the Social Security Act (42 
U.S.C. 1395x(s)(2)) is amended--
            (1) in subparagraph (Z), by striking ``and'' at the end;
            (2) in subparagraph (AA), by inserting ``and'' at the end; 
        and
            (3) by adding at the end the following new subparagraph:
            ``(BB) audiology services (as defined in subsection 
        (ll)(2));''.
    (b) Payment Under the Physician Fee Schedule.--Section 1848(j)(3) 
of such Act (42 U.S.C. 1395w-4(j)(3)) is amended by inserting 
``(2)(BB),'' after ``(2)(AA),''.

SEC. 5. CONSTRUCTION; EFFECTIVE DATE.

    (a) Construction.--Nothing in the amendments made by this Act shall 
be construed to expand the scope of audiology services for which 
payment may be made under title XVIII of the Social Security Act on 
December 31, 2007.
    (b) Effective Date.--The amendments made by this Act shall take 
effect with respect to services furnished on or after January 1, 2008.
                                 <all>