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You heard right: More coverage for cochlear implants

Ambulatory Surgery Reimbursement Update, January 18, 2005

More patients suffering from hearing loss may soon receive implants helping to recreate sound, thanks to a proposed plan by Medicare.

Medicare currently pays for the device, called a cochlear implant, for patients having a score of 30 or less as determined by a series of sound recognition tests, according to Reuters. Cochlear implants are electronic devices surgically placed under the skin to stimulate the auditory nerve.

Under the proposed plan, Medicare would cover elderly patients demonstrating a less severe loss with a score of 40 or less. Medicare would also cover patients with a score of 41 to 60 if they participated in a clinical trial.

"This is a welcome change for many beneficiaries who did not previously qualify for Medicare coverage of a cochlear implant," said Mark McClellan, head of the agency that runs Medicare, according to Reuters. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services estimates that more than 25 million Americans have hearing loss, including one out of four people older than 65.

CMS will accept public comments about the proposal until February 7, 2005, and will make its final decision two months later.

To view the national coverage decision for cochlear implantation, click here.

Submit comments on the proposal to the CMS by clicking here.

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