An Act To Require Health Insurers To Cover the Costs of Hearing Aids
Maine Legislature, Session 122, LD 0447
Committee: Insurance and Financial Services
Sponsors: EDMONDS, BRENNAN, BLANCHETTE
Amends: 24 MRSA §2317

Legislative Document 
No. 447 
S.P. 145 
In Senate, January 27,2005 
An Act To Require Health Insurers To Cover the Costs of Hearing 
Aids 
Reference to the Committee on Insurance and Financial Services suggested and ordered 
printed. 
Presented by President EDMONDS of Cumberland. 
,JOY J. O'BRIEN 
Secretary of the Senate 
Cosponsored by Senator: BRENNAN of Cumberland, Representative: BLANCHETTE of 
Bangor. 
Printed on recycled paper 
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: 
Sec. 1. 24 MRSA §2317·B, sub·§12·B is enacted to read: 
12-B. 
Title 24-A. sections 2761, 2847-L and 4252. 
Coverage 
for hearing aids, Title 24-A, sections 2761, 2847-L and 4252; 
Sec. 2. 24·A MRS A §2761 is enacted to read: 
§2761. 
Coverage for hearing aids 
1. 
Required coverage. 
All individual health policies and 
contracts must provide coverage for the purchase of a hearing aid 
for each ear from an audiologist licensed pursuant to Title 32, 
chapter 77 or a hearing aid dealer licensed pursuant to Title 32, 
chapter 23-A for a person 21 years of age or under whose hearing 
loss has been documented by a physician or licensed audiologist. 
For 
purposes 
of 
this 
section, 
"hearing 
aid" 
means 
any 
nonexperimental, wearable instrument or device designed for the 
ear and offered for the purpose of aiding or compensating for 
impaired human hearing, excluding batteries and cords and other 
assistive 
listening devices, 
including, 
but 
not 
limited 
to, 
freguency modulation systems. 
2. 
Limits; 
coinsurance; 
deductib1es. 
Any 
policy 
or 
contract that provides coverage for services under this section 
may contain provisions for maximum benefits and coinsurance and 
reasonable limitations, deductibles and exclusions to the extent 
that these provisions are not inconsistent with the reguirements 
of this section. 
Sec.3. 24·A MRSA §2847.L is enacted to read: 
§2847-L. 
Coverage for hearing aids 
1. 
Required 
coverage. 
All 
group 
insurance 
policies, 
contracts and certificates must provide coverage for the purchase 
of 
a 
hearing aid for 
each ear 
from 
an audiologist licensed 
pursuant to Title 32, chapter 77 or a hearing aid dealer licensed 
pursuant to Title 32, chapter 23-A for a person 21 years of age 
or under whose hearing loss has been documented by a physician or 
licensed audiologist. 
For purposes of this section, 
"hearing 
aid" means 
any nonexperimental, 
wearable instrument or device 
designed for the ear and offered for the purpose of aiding or 
compensating for impaired human hearing, excluding batteries and 
cords and other assistive listening devices, including, but not 
limited to, freguency modulation systems. 
2. 
Limits; coinsurance: deductib1es. 
Any policy, contract 
or certificate that provides coverage for services under this 
Page l-LR0869(1) 
section 
may 
contain 
provisions 
for 
maximum 
benefits 
and 
coinsurance 
and 
reasonable 
limitations, 
deductibles 
and 
exclusions 
to 
the 
extent 
that 
these 
provisions 
are 
not 
inconsistent with the requirements of this section. 
Sec. 4. 24·A MRSA §4252 is enacted to read: 
§4252. 
Coverage for hearing aids 
J_. 
Required coverage. 
All health maintenance organization 
individual and group health policies, contracts and certificates 
must provide coverage for the purchase of a hearing aid for each 
ear from an audiologist licensed pursuant to Title 32, chapter 77 
or a hearing aid dealer licensed pursuant to Title 32, chapter 
23-A for a person 21 years of age or under whose hearing loss has 
been documented by 
a 
physician or licensed audiologist. 
For 
purposes 
of 
this 
section, 
"hearing 
aid" 
means 
any 
nonexperimental, wearable instrument or device designed for the 
ear and offered for the purpose of aiding or compensating for 
impaired human hearing, excluding batteries and cords and other 
assistive 
listening devices, 
including, 
but 
not 
limited to, 
frequency modulation systems. 
2. 
Limits; coinsurance; deductibles. 
Any policy, contract 
or certificate that provides coverage for services under this 
section 
may 
contain 
provisions 
for 
maximum 
benefits 
and 
coinsurance 
and 
reasonable 
limitations, 
deductibles 
and 
exclusions 
to 
the 
extent 
that 
these 
provisions 
are 
not 
inconsistent with the requirements of this section. 
Sec. 5. Application. 
The requirements of this Act apply to 
all policies, 
contracts 
and certificates executed, 
delivered, 
issued for delivery, continued or renewed in this State on or 
after January 1, 2006. 
For purposes of this Act, all contracts 
are 
deemed 
to 
be 
renewed 
no 
later 
than 
the 
next 
yearly 
anniversary of the contract date. 
SUMMARY 
This bill requires health insurance policies, contracts and 
certificates to provide coverage for hearing aids for persons 21 
years of age and under. The provisions apply to all policies, 
contracts and certificates issued or renewed on or after January 
1, 2006.