ASHA Advocate: May 16, 2025

ASHA remains at the forefront in the fight to stop congressional efforts to overhaul the Medicaid program in ways that restrict access to essential services, including those provided by audiologists and SLPs. ASHA advocacy has been on Capitol Hill actively engaging with legislators and fellow stakeholders. Meanwhile, ASHA advocates have sent over 25,000 letters to their legislators.

Although a key U.S. House of Representatives committee approved some Medicaid changes that ASHA and others oppose, more extensive proposals were successfully rejected. There is still time for advocates to slow or stop other proposals from becoming law. The legislation has passed out of the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee, but it still needs to pass the full House and Senate and have any differences reconciled before becoming law. Read the letter [PDF] ASHA recently shared with federal lawmakers and get the latest updates so you can urge Congress to preserve Medicaid.

House and Senate committees have begun hearings on the Administration’s budget request for the upcoming fiscal year, questioning significant budget cuts and structural changes at the Department of Health and Human Services proposed by Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. ASHA submitted letters [PDF] to the committees highlighting the potential damaging impact on access to services audiologists provide.

Next week, committees with jurisdiction over education will start examining the Administration’s budget request for the Department of Education. Take action now to protect the Department of Education and ensure students have access to the services and supports they need.

Medicare has released its proposed annual updates to payment rates, quality reporting programs, and other policies for each practice setting. Recent proposals include updates for acute care hospitals [PDF] (including long-term care hospitals), skilled nursing facilities [PDF], and inpatient rehabilitation facilities [PDF].

This year’s proposed rules are significantly shorter than those of previous years and have few provisions directly linked to audiology or speech-language pathology services. ASHA is analyzing and preparing comments to submit during the public comment period. Final rules will be announced in August.

The current political environment—at the federal level and in the states—has placed access to health care, quality of public schools, and government funding at the forefront of discussion. Your feedback helps ASHA leadership and volunteers understand the impact of these changes to guide resource allocation and advocacy support for members, affiliates, and the communities that audiologists and SLPs serve. Share your feedback anytime using ASHA’s Federal and State Policy Impact Member Feedback Form.

• Hosted webinar to discuss the current political climate, key executive orders and actions impacting educational audiologists and school-based SLPs, ASHA Advocacy’s latest efforts, and ways you can get involved. Watch it here: Exploring the Education Policy Landscape: What School-Based Audiologists and SLPs Need to Know.
• Advocacy win! Following incredible action from North Carolinian ASHA members sending almost 3,000 letters, the North Carolina House released a budget containing a 3% increase in Medicaid rates for SLPs.
• Sent a letter to House and Senate health committee leaders sharing concerns about the Administration’s proposal [PDF] to reorganize the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and reduce its budget by 26% in the upcoming fiscal year.
• Concluded ASHA-PAC’s Spring into PACtion campaign by successfully raising $9,620 from 114 donors.
• Facilitated and participated in congressional meetings for leaders of SIG 14 (Cultural and Linguistic Diversity) to discuss federal actions impacting the U.S. Department of Education.
• Attended the National Health Council’s Science of Patient Engagement Symposium focused on medical technology and artificial intelligence (AI).
• Met with the Government Accountability Office to discuss habilitation benefits in the Tricare Extended Care Health Option (ECHO) program.
• Presented to the National Association of Rehabilitation Providers and Agencies (NARA) spring meeting on the role of therapy in value-based care.
• Presented to the Washington Speech-Language-Hearing Association (WSLHA) on the background and potential of AI in audiology and speech-language pathology.
• Supported Arizona Speech-Language-Hearing Association efforts to add coverage of outpatient speech-language pathology services and cochlear implants for individuals over 21 to Arizona’s Medicaid agency.

Interested in seeing other comment letters ASHA has submitted? Visit our website.

In May 2025, the American Medical Association CPT Editorial Panel Meeting convened in Brooklyn, New York. ASHA volunteer leaders and staff attended to advocate on behalf of audiologists and SLPs. Their efforts focused on advancing accurate representation and appropriate coding of the critical services our professionals provide.