ASHA Advocate: July 14, 2022
July 14, 2022
The Top Line
- There is a renewed push by the White House and Congressional Democrats to pass a scaled-down version of the Build Back Better Act, which includes tax credits for the purchase of health insurance.
- Campaign season is kicking into high gear and closing the window for significant legislative activity before November.
- ASHA will be releasing a detailed analysis of the 2023 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule tomorrow morning. Stay tuned!
House Committee Passes Funding Bill with Key ASHA Priorities
The U.S. House Committee on Appropriations has advanced funding legislation for FY 2023. The bill includes numerous provisions that ASHA has advocated for, including a $3.2 billion increase for IDEA, a $1 million increase for newborn hearing screening, and a $16.2 million increase for the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders. The bill also encourages the U.S. Department of Education to provide technical assistance to help audiologists and SLPs better support students with speech-language disorders in school settings and directs CDC to address disparities in pediatric hearing health care. Read more about these important developments and take action now to advocate on these and other key public policy priorities.
ASHA Urges Reversal of Medicare Cuts
ASHA continues advocating against reductions to Medicare Part B reimbursement, most recently by sending a letter [PDF] to Congressional leaders opposing reinstatement of Medicare sequestration cuts. The sequestration and other Medicare related cuts were scheduled to reduce Medicare reimbursement by about 10% in 2022, but advocacy by ASHA and others secured significant mitigation at the end of last year. ASHA members can help support these efforts by contacting your federal elected officials.
Working for You
- The Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee has advanced the Early Hearing Detection and Intervention Act of 2022 (S. 4052), which would reauthorize federally supported newborn hearing screening programs beyond FY 2023.
- ASHA submitted comments [PDF] in response to the U.S. Department of Education's announcement of their intent to update its regulations for Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act.
- The Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act (H.R. 3173/S. 3018) would address the use of prior authorization by Medicare Advantage plans as a way to delay or deny needed access to audiology and speech-language pathology services. ASHA recently signed a letter to congressional leaders [PDF] in support of the bill and encourages ASHA members to contact their federal elected officials.
- The Connecting Rural Telehealth to the Future Act (H.R. 7876), legislation endorsed by ASHA [PDF], would extend the ability of audiologists and SLPs to deliver telehealth services to Medicare beneficiaries through the end of 2024. Act now to preserve Medicare beneficiary access to SLP and audiology services delivered through telehealth.
Spotlight!
Thank you, Lou, for your ongoing leadership!
"Advocacy to me is about insuring a productive future for our consumers, our colleagues and our professions."
—Louis Malerba, CCC-SLP, Member, Government Affairs and Public Policy Board
