Legislative advocacy

I have been bitten by the advocacy bug. In 2009, I had the opportunity to attend the first ever Texas Advanced Leadership and Advocacy Conference (TALAC) conference hosted by the Center on Disability Development at Texas A&M University. During that conference, we visited the capitol and identified areas of legislative advocacy that were important to us that we might want to get involved in. Before the legislative session was over, I testified before the House Insurance Committee in support of a bill that would require insurance coverage "for the treatment of speech, language, and hearing impairment". Even though the bill never made it out of committee, it was an awesome experience and it gave me the inspiration to continue legislative advocacy efforts.

The Texas Legislature convenes for regular session every two years, so 2011 is the first new session since my TALAC experience. In the time since TALAC, I have been researching the laws that have been passed in other states, as well as considering the past effort in Texas to secure insurance coverage for hearing aids. I decided I was going to give my best effort to make something happen in Texas. If there was one thing I learned from TALAC, it's that the lawmakers do want to hear from us "little people". They are so used to hearing from the professional lobbiest and and the companies/industries that that have a vested interest in legislative changes, that is a breath of fresh air for them to see a "real person" take the time to make contact and make their voice heard.

I have started a sister blog to chronicle the efforts so I won't repeat everything here, but please, check out "Texans Support Insurance Coverage for Hearing Aids" for ongoing information on our progress.

I will summarize the issue here though:

Current law: The current insurance code in Texas requires that insurance companies offer group plan purchasers (i.e. employers) the option of purchasing speech and hearing coverage. There is no requirement as to when the employer is notified of this coverage or that they be told how much it would cost. The employer has the option of not accepting the coverage or, if they choose to add any coverage for speech and/or hearing services, to negotiate any level of coverage they wish. This assumes that the benefits representative for the employer realizes that the offer of coverage, which is typically buried in the final paperwork, is available or that these services are not already covered under a typical policy. This negotiation takes place between the employer and the insurance company; the employee is never offered the option of coverage if the employer chooses not to elect coverage for speech and hearing benefits. The vast majority of employers do not offer this coverage, even though the change in premiums is minimal.

Proposal: The proposed bill has two parts. This bill would:

• Require insurance companies to notify group plan purchasers of the offer of coverage at the time of initial quotes and bid the policy with the speech, language and hearing coverage included as an option. This would allow employers the ability to make a more informed choice as to what benefits they wish to provide for their employees. This provision, if passed as written, would apply to covered individuals over the age of 18.
• Require insurance coverage for minors under the age of 18, or those over the age of 18 if covered as a dependent for the treatment of speech, language, and hearing impairment. The coverage under this provision these services would be provided at the same rates as other illness covered under the policy.

If you are willing to join the effort by contacting your state representative or senator, please let me know!