Legislation to Provide Medicare Reimbursement for Audiology Services Reintroduced in Congress

New legislation that would provide Medicare coverage for diagnostic and treatment services by audiologists starting in 2025 and remove the physician order requirement so beneficiaries have improved access to audiologists was introduced on July 19 by U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Rand Paul (R-KY), and Charles Grassley (R-IA). The Medicare Audiology Access Improvement Act of 2023 is an updated version of similar legislation introduced in previous Congresses that reflects input from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). It is endorsed by the American Academy of Audiology (AAA), Academy of Doctors of Audiology (ADA), and American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA).

The legislation is also expected to be introduced into the U.S. House soon. According to the organizations, the newly reintroduced Act would:

• Provide Medicare coverage of both diagnostic and treatment services provided by audiologists starting in 2025.
• Remove the physician order requirement so beneficiaries have improved access to audiologists, addressing claim denials associated with use of the AB modifier.
• Reclassify audiologists as practitioners under the Medicare statute, enabling services to be furnished through telehealth beyond the current December 31, 2024, expiration of such authority.

Similar legislation secured significant bipartisan, bicameral support in previous Congresses, most recently garnering 54 cosponsors in the House and eight in the Senate during the 117th Congress. Key provisions to allow reimbursement for treatment services and provide practitioner status were also included in legislation passed by the House in 2021.

AAA, ADA, and ASHA said they were thankful to Senators Warren, Paul, and Grassley for reintroducing this legislation (which is expected to be introduced in the U.S. House soon) and for recognizing that audiologists are expertly educated and uniquely qualified to diagnose and treat hearing and balance conditions that lead to depression, social isolation, dementia, and other serious health conditions that impact millions of seniors.