Hey!
Did you know that while 95% of individuals with hearing loss could successfully wear hearing aids, only about 25% of the 34 million Americans with hearing loss (8.4 million people) used them in 2008!!! (According to the most recent 'MarkeTrak' report, the largest national consumer survey on hearing loss.) I was shocked to say the least when I learned this! This statistic is explained;however, when one learns that 33% of individuals who have a hearing loss make (in salary) less than $30,000 per year. (According to the Better Hearing Institute!) Hearing aids are expensive -- costs can go into the thousands -- so many people would rather put food on the table and a roof above their head than hear! I totally understand that, yet I believe it is a basic human right to be able to hear and see! (And that no person should be denied these rights if they can obtain them -- forget about medical reasons!)
In response to statistics like these, the US Gov't is bringing light to these issues in the House of Representative and the Senate! The House of Representative (HR) and the Senate are the two branches of the legislative branch of the US Gov't! The US Federal Gov't is composed of the Legislative, Judicial, and Executive branches! Currently, in the House, there are three bills awaiting votes: HR 1646 (Hearing Aid Tax Credit), HR 3024 (Medicare Hearing Healthcare Enhancement Act of 2009), and HR 3101 (21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act of 2009)! Below, I discuss the three proposed bills!
Did you know that while 95% of individuals with hearing loss could successfully wear hearing aids, only about 25% of the 34 million Americans with hearing loss (8.4 million people) used them in 2008!!! (According to the most recent 'MarkeTrak' report, the largest national consumer survey on hearing loss.) I was shocked to say the least when I learned this! This statistic is explained;however, when one learns that 33% of individuals who have a hearing loss make (in salary) less than $30,000 per year. (According to the Better Hearing Institute!) Hearing aids are expensive -- costs can go into the thousands -- so many people would rather put food on the table and a roof above their head than hear! I totally understand that, yet I believe it is a basic human right to be able to hear and see! (And that no person should be denied these rights if they can obtain them -- forget about medical reasons!)
In response to statistics like these, the US Gov't is bringing light to these issues in the House of Representative and the Senate! The House of Representative (HR) and the Senate are the two branches of the legislative branch of the US Gov't! The US Federal Gov't is composed of the Legislative, Judicial, and Executive branches! Currently, in the House, there are three bills awaiting votes: HR 1646 (Hearing Aid Tax Credit), HR 3024 (Medicare Hearing Healthcare Enhancement Act of 2009), and HR 3101 (21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act of 2009)! Below, I discuss the three proposed bills!
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