Bill > HR5304

This bill, the Audiology Patient Choice Act of 2014, aims to improve Medicare coverage for audiology services by treating qualified audiologists as physicians for the purpose of providing these services. It seeks to expand access to audiology care for Medicare beneficiaries, allowing them to choose their preferred qualified audiologist. Specifically, the bill amends the Social Security Act to include qualified audiologists as recognized providers for audiology services, provided they are legally authorized by their state and acting within their scope of practice. It also removes requirements that audiology services must be furnished under the care of, referred by, or supervised by a physician or other healthcare practitioner, thereby enabling beneficiaries to directly access these services from an audiologist. The bill highlights findings that hearing loss is a common issue among seniors, contributing to falls, depression, social isolation, and cognitive decline, and asserts that Medicare beneficiaries should have access to the same level of audiology care as available through other federal programs and private insurance.