Funding & Financial Support for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing

As anyone with a deaf or hard of hearing child will tell you, hearing aids and especially cochlear implants are very expensive to say the least. Unfortunately, all too many insurance companies do not provide coverage for assistive listening devices. We were even told by our insurance provider that hearing aids are considered a "vanity item" if you can believe that! Since when is needing to hear being vain?

There is some hope - In recent history, some states have passed laws requiring insurance providers to cover hearing aids for children. Unfortunately, this is the exception rather than the rule. Here in Colorado during the 2003 legislative session, a bill was brought forth that would have mandated this coverage - sadly, the governor vetoed it.

Many parents as such are forced to look for outside sources to help - as we did. It is very important to note that persistence and perseverance pays off! Many letters and many phone calls will be required, but if you try hard enough, you can almost certainly find at least a little bit of help!

Here we hope to help you find sources for funding, outline some ways you can try to get your insurance company to pay for them, and provide some information on states that mandate coverage.

• Government Sources - Medicare / Medicaid
• Insurance Companies - Information on states that mandate coverage, articles on how to deal with your insurance providers and more.
• Other Organizations - Non-profit organizations that provide financial assistance.