[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 10 (Thursday, February 3, 2005)] [Senate] [Page S982] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] By Mr. JOHNSON (for himself, Mr. DeWine, and Mr. Harkin): S. 277. A bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for direct access to audiologists for Medicare beneficiaries, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Finance. Mr. JOHNSON. Mr. President, I am pleased to introduce the Hearing Health Acessibility Act with our colleagues Senator DeWine and Senator Harkin. This legislation is the companion bill to legislation that was introduced in the House by Representative Jim Ryun, with a number of cosponsors. This legislation will, in short, provide Medicare beneficiaries with the option of direct access to audiology services, as is the case for the health care programs administered by the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Office of Personnel Management. Direct access works well for our veterans and for Federal employees, including Members of Congress, and should be available to senior citizens in the Medicare program. In 2003, the Congress in the Appropriations Conference Report number 108-10 recommended that the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services make this change. We have since learned from Mr. Joel Kaplan, Deputy Director, Office of Management and Budget, that CMS does not have the authority to do so under current law. Therefore, I hope that we can all agree that this is a common sense idea whose time has come, and move this legislation forward to enactment. Direct access would facilitate access to hearing care without expanding the scope of practice for audiologists. This legislation will make it easier for Medicare beneficiaries, particularly in rural America, to have the same high quality hearing care provided by the VA and OPM. It is also important to point out that both the Medicare and Medicaid programs now recognize State licensure as the appropriate standard for determining who is a qualified audiologist. This legislation enjoys the support the American Academy of Audiology, the American Speech-Language and Hearing Association, and the Academy of Dispensing Audiologists. I commend this legislation to the attention of my colleagues. ______