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Report Shows Small Cost Impact for Bill Extending Hearing Aid Benefits to Children |
From the Division of Health Care Finance and Policy: The Massachusetts Division of Health Care Finance and Policy (DHCFP) has completed its analysis of the cost and clinical efficacy of a potential mandated health benefit regarding hearing aids for Massachusetts children. House Bill 52 was written with the intent of providing Massachusetts children and their families with assistance from their insurance carriers for receiving hearing aids. Analyses have found that early treatment of hearing loss allows children to speak sooner and more clearly, with greater vocabulary and verbal reasoning skills. Please Note: The Division does not take a position in support of, or in opposition to, any legislation referred for review. DHCFP estimates that, even under conservative healthcare market assumptions, enactment of this Massachusetts healthcare legislation would result in less than one fifth of one percent increase in health insurance premiums |
