Bilirakis, Moran, and Mullin Sponsor Bipartisan Legislation to Improve Seniors' Access to Hearing Services

Washington - This week, Representatives Gus Bilirakis (R-FL-12), Kevin Mullin (D-CA-15) and Nathaniel Moran (R-TX-1) re-filed the Medicare Audiology Access Improvement Act to expand seniors' access to audiology and hearing services. This important piece of legislation fixes a long-standing access barrier that punishes both seniors and audiologists and increases the choices Medicare patients have when treating their hearing needs. Under current Medicare rules, seniors are unable to access the full range of services that independent audiologists provide under their existing scope of practice, despite these services already being covered under existing law. The Medicare Audiology Access Improvement Actwill end this inequity by allowing independent audiologists to directly bill Medicare for services that are already covered under the law and within their existing scope of practice. The bill also makes technical changes to remove the pre-treatment order requirement, which does not exist with any other federal or commercial payer, and further clarifies that audiologists can provide these services at Rural Health Centers and Federally Qualified Health Centers.

"Medicare reimbursement policies should be patient-centered and maximize patient choice whenever possible," said Congressman Bilirakis. "Updating these policies to allow licensed audiologists to fully participate in Medicare will bring greater parity and provide seniors with improved access to hearing health and balance care."

"As someone who is hard of hearing and who relies on hearing aids, I know firsthand how important it is to receive quality hearing care. Currently, many Medicare recipients face serious barriers that prevent them from accessing the full range of audiology services they deserve. We need to reduce red tape for both patients and audiologists, which is why I'm proud to lead the Medicare Audiology Access Improvement Act with Reps. Bilirakis and Moran," said Congressman Mullin.

"Our legislation expands access to audiology and hearing services for seniors by removing barriers to care and reforming policies to allow trained and licensed audiologists full participation in Medicare," said Congressman Moran. "We must ensure that patients have the freedom to choose the provider that best fits their needs. This bill is an important step to improve access to critical hearing services for seniors."

"ADA applauds Representatives Bilirakis and Mullin for championing the Medicare Audiology Access Improvement Act to remove red tape so that seniors and individuals with disabilities have streamlined access to crucial hearing and balance healthcare services," said Amyn Amlani, Ph.D., President of the Academy of Doctors of Audiology (ADA). "Classifying audiologists as Medicare practitioners will allow patients to receive timely, evidence-based care that improves communication, reduces fall risks, and enhances overall quality of life."

"The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association thanks Representatives Gus Bilirakis and Kevin Mullin for reintroducing this important legislation, which will give seniors more timely and robust access to hearing and balance care provided by audiologists," said ASHA 2025 President Bernadette Mayfield-Clarke, Ph.D., CCC-SLP. "ASHA looks forward to continued collaboration with these leaders and our allied partners to enact this bill as soon as possible. Doing so will help remove unnecessary bureaucratic barriers that prevent seniors from accessing critical hearing and balance care and prevent the Medicare program from utilizing the audiology workforce to the fullest extent of its training and expertise."

"The American Academy of Audiology is extremely grateful for our three champions in the House of Representatives, Representatives Gus Bilirakis, Kevin Mullin and Nathaniel Moran for their immense dedication to audiologist by re-introducing the Medicare Audiology Access Improvement Act. This legislation is critical to raising the audiologist profession as whole to become practitioners, provide necessary direct access and allow for important telehealth access for those in rural areas,"said the Academy's President Patricia Gaffney, AuD, MPH. "The leadership of these three dedicated Members of Congress inspire those who work day in and day out to improve hearing health every day that their profession matters and is worth protecting. For patients, the passage of this legislation-effective legislation will give them timely access to the services critical to accurate diagnosis and appropriate treatment."