OTC hearing aids shouldn’t be allowed say many, but why? Because a doc can’t prescribe them? Because an audiologists can’t get insurance many? Well dammit let’s get rid of OTC reading glasses because someone can’t read small print or OTC finger splint because an Emergency Room can’t bill for it and by all means make the “Hurri-cane” illegal – PB/TK
Elizabeth Warren’s hearing aid bill needs to be muted – By Gerard Gianoli / May 27 2017
At a time of widespread political disagreement, there seems to be consensus on at least one thing: Congressional lawmaking is moving at a plodding pace. From healthcare to infrastructure to tax reform to essentially every other national priority, we are seeing, to date, mostly incremental progress. Knowing this, it’s quite surprising to watch legislation I believe will jeopardize medical care and increase costs for millions of people move to President Trump’s desk with blinding speed.
The issue is Senate Bill 670, the Over-the-Counter Hearing Aid Act of 2017, authored by Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass. This bill means what it says – it would make hearing aids available over the counter – but it fundamentally fails the test of regulatory reliability and, most importantly, patient safety.
Warren’s bill would allow the selling of hearing aids over the counter without the aid of licensed hearing aid dealers or audiologists and outside of the purview of a medical product. At the same time, the bill will regulate (read: significantly increase bureaucratic burdens and raise prices on) personal sound amplification products (PSAPs).
For their part, PSAPs are already available over the counter, but not for use as medical hearing aids. Why? Government policy correctly recognizes they are not appropriate medical treatments for moderate hearing loss, which is defined as being unable to hear sounds softer than 40–70 dB, like a casual conversation or a ringing cellphone.
Continue to washingtonexaminer.com article: http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/elizabeth-warrens-hearing-aid-bill-needs-to-be-muted/article/2624301
