11/21/2024
ACI Alliance submitted a formal request on November to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to expand the Medicare program’s coverage on cochlear implantation to include single-sided deafness and asymmetric hearing loss. The request, known as a National Coverage Determination (or NCD) asked that Medicare coverage be based upon the ear to be implanted.
The research that supported the submission was led by Dr. Maura Cosetti and her team at The Mount Sinai Hospital in New York. It included a review of published studies, retrospective patient-level outcomes data, and clinical practice guidelines. Given the impact asymmetric hearing loss can have on an individual’s life, ACI Alliance members and the patient community emphasized the need to address access to care for this aspect of hearing loss. While there has been some success in gaining insurance coverage from public and private insurers, Medicare coverage remains off limits to those older adults seeking a CI with asymmetric hearing loss.
Find details at https://www.acialliance.org/page/MedicareExpansion
