bi-privilege:

bi-privilege:

bi-privilege:

bi-privilege:

so there is currently a bipartisan bill that congress is working on to improve access to hearing aids by making a class of hearing aids available over the counter. apparently only about 30% of people with hearing loss have hearing aids, and one of the main reasons why is that getting them can be very cost prohibitive. so having low-level aids available over the counter will hopefully make them more affordable at least to some people. these hearing aids will be fda regulated and required to meet minimum standards. hearing loss advocacy groups and the AARP support the bill

and conservative interest groups are opposing the bill basically just because elizabeth warren is involved with the bill 🙄

for clarification: a lot of the conservative groups were like “this is a sneak attack against personal sound amplification devices!!!1!” these PSADs are currently sold over the counter and not regulated by the FDA. some people who cannot afford hearing aids will use these instead; they are also used recreationally, particularly by hunters. some conservatives argued that under this legislation, PSADs would be subject to the same FDA regulations as hearing aids, potentially driving up the cost of the devices. however, the FDA regulations will NOT apply to PSADs: they pretty clearly only apply to devices that companies choose to market as hearing aids and/or medical devices.

when informed of this, the response of conservative groups (including pro-gun groups) that are against this bill was basically: “but….but…..ELIZABETH WARREN”

if anyone is interested in calling their representatives to voice their support for this bill (focusing on republicans since the conservatives are the ones trying to block this) i have compiled a list of some key representatives and included a link to a bio on votesmart which includes their contact info:

the following republicans co-sponsored either SB 670 (the senate bill to make hearing aids available OTC) or HR 1652 (the corresponding house bill to make hearing aids available OTC). you can call/write/email and say something along the lines of “Hi, my name is [your name] and I live in [your town, if you’re in their district]. I want to thank Senator/Representative [so and so] for co-sponsoring SB 670 [if they’re in the senate] / HR 1652 [if they’re in the house]. I hope they will continue to support making hearing aids more accessible to seniors and low-income Americans who are hard of hearing.”

in the senate:

• iowa – sen. grassley [link]
• georgia – sen. isakson [link]
• maine – sen. collins [link]

in the house:

• georgia d1 – rep. carter [link]
• tennessee d7 – rep. blackburn [link]
• nebraska d2 – rep. bacon [link]

now, currently, both SB 670 & HR1652 are in committee. bills must get through the committee they’ve been assigned to before they are voted on; committees can potentially kill bills (keep them from ever being voted on) by refusing to act on them.

the following republicans are on the senate committee for health, education, labor, and pensions. again, you can call/write to them and say something along the lines of “Hi, my name is [your name] and I live in [your town, if you’re a constituent]. I am calling Senator [their name] in regards to SB 670, a bill assigned to the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. SB 670 has the potential to make hearing aids more accessible to seniors and low-income Americans who are hard of hearing, and I hope Senator [their name] will support this bill.”

• alaska – sen. murkowski [link]
• georgia – sen. isakson (also co-sponsoring the bill; contact info listed above)
• indiana – sen. young [link]
• kansas – sen. roberts [link]
• kentucky – sen. paul [link]
• louisianna – sen. cassidy [link]
• maine – sen. collins (also co-sponsoring the bill; contact info listed above)
• north carolina – sen. burr [link]
• south carolina – sen. scott [link]
• tenneesee – sen. alexander [link]
• utah – sen. hatch [link]
• wyoming – sen. enzi [link]

the following republicans are on the house subcommittee for health (which is actually part of the larger energy & commerce committee). again, you can call/write to them and say something along the lines of “Hi, my name is [your name] and I live in [your town, if you’re a constituent]. I am calling Representative [their name] in regards to HR 1652, a bill assigned to the House Subcommittee on Health. HR 1652 has the potential to make hearing aids more accessible to seniors and low-income Americans who are hard of hearing, and I hope Representative [their name] will support this bill.”

• florida d12 – rep. bilirakus [link]
• georgia d1 – carter (also co-sponsored the bill; contact info above)
• illinois d15 – rep. shimkus [link]
• indianna d5 – rep. brooks [link]
• indianna d8 – rep. bucshon [link]
• kentucky d2 – rep. guthrie [link]
• michigan d6 – rep upton [link]
• missouri d7 – rep. long [link]
• new jersey d7 – rep. lance [link]
• new york d27 – rep. collins [link]
• north carolina d8 – rep. hudson [link]
• oklahoma d2 – rep. mullin [link]
• oregon d2 – rep. walden [link]
• pennsylvania d18 – rep. murphy [link]
• tennessee d7 – rep. blackburn (also co-sponsored the bill; contact info above)
• texas d6 – rep. barton [link]
• texas d26 – rep. burgess [link]
• texas d29 – rep. green [link]
• virginia d9 – rep. griffith [link]
• washington d5 – rep. mcmorris rodgers [link]

hey y’all I’m bringing this back because 2 conservative groups have released ads attacking marsha blackburn, a republican and a co-sponsor of this bill, for supporting it because of elizabeth warren’s involvement. this is the sort of thing that could make republicans reconsider their support of this potentially life-changing legislation, particularly if they’re not getting positive feedback from their constituents! so if your congressperson is one of the co-sponsors and you’re able to, it would be great if you could call and say thanks!!