Sponsors (2)
The bill expands Medicare coverage and access for implanted middle ear devices, easing costs for beneficiaries and enabling provider billing, while creating modest increases in Medicare spending and near-term implementation burden for CMS and providers.
Medicare beneficiaries with severe hearing loss gain Medicare coverage for implanted active middle ear devices, reducing their out-of-pocket costs and improving access because hospitals and providers can bill Medicare for the procedure.
Taxpayers and Medicare beneficiaries could face higher costs because expanding coverage may increase Medicare program spending, putting pressure on premiums or trust fund solvency.
Federal employees, hospitals, and providers will face short-term administrative burden as CMS must implement the billing clarification within 60 days and providers adapt billing practices.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Requires CMS to clarify that implanted active middle ear hearing devices are prosthetics and thus not excluded from Medicare payment as hearing aids.
Official title: Direct the Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to clarify that implanted active middle ear hearing devices are prosthetics and are not subject to the hearing aid coverage exclusion under the Medicare program.
Introduced March 12, 2025 by Amy Klobuchar · Last progress March 12, 2025
Requires the CMS Administrator to issue a formal clarification within 60 days that implanted active middle ear hearing devices are prosthetics and therefore not subject to Medicare's statutory hearing aid exclusion. It defines “prosthetic” by reference to the existing federal regulation so CMS will treat these implanted devices as payable prosthetic devices under Medicare rules rather than excluded hearing aids.