On Friday, the 24th of April, Wisconsin turned a corner and passed new legislation potentially requiring all health insurance providers to fully fund cochlear implants in that state:
Gov. Jim Doyle has promised to sign the bill into law requiring private health insurance plans to cover cochlear implants, hearing aids and related treatment for those under the age of 18...
However, many families with deaf children cannot afford to pay for the $50,000 or more implants when those costs are excluded by insurance policies.
Proponents say getting the devices early is critical to help children develop their language skills.
At the same time, Deaf bloggers and organizations such as Audism-Free America became widely concerned, especially quoting Wisconsin representative Jim Cullen, who stated "this bill is going to allow children to keep their hearing, to become members of society, to go to school and keep a job." There are currently activities going on to drum up opposition for this bill, stating his comment shows great ignorance. Why is this happening? Is the road to hell really paved with good intentions? Join us as we investigate, below the fold...http://
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