WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Medicare Audiology Access Improvement Act of 2025 (H.R. 2757) was introduced today by U.S. Representatives Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) and Kevin Mullin (D-CA), aiming to improve Medicare coverage and access to hearing and balance care. The legislation has received enthusiastic support from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA), the American Academy of Audiology (AAA), and the Academy of Doctors of Audiology (ADA).
The bipartisan bill is designed to modernize Medicare policy by removing outdated barriers that limit patient access to audiologists. If enacted, it would:
- Eliminate the physician order requirement, allowing beneficiaries to directly access audiologists and avoid unnecessary office visits.
- Reclassify audiologists as practitioners under Medicare, enabling services to continue via telehealth beyond the current expiration date of September 30, 2025.
- Authorize reimbursement for both diagnostic and treatment services that audiologists are licensed to provide under state law, supporting continuity of care.
“Our current healthcare system is not adequately meeting the hearing and balance needs of our growing aging population,” said ADA President Alicia Spoor, Au.D. “This legislation helps address that by ensuring Medicare beneficiaries have improved access to audiologists for medically necessary services.”
By recognizing audiologists as Medicare providers and eliminating administrative hurdles, the bill seeks to align Medicare coverage with policies already used by other federal and private insurers.
“The Medicare Audiology Access Improvement Act of 2025 provides much-needed modernization of Medicare’s coverage of audiology services. By recognizing audiologists as Medicare providers and removing unnecessary physician order requirements, this legislation ensures seniors receive more timely and appropriate hearing and balance care.”
–AAA President, Sarah Sydlowski, Au.D., Ph.D.
The legislation is also expected to lower out-of-pocket costs for Medicare beneficiaries and increase access to timely care—especially for individuals in rural and underserved areas who rely heavily on telehealth services.
“The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association commends Representatives Bilirakis and Mullin for their bipartisan leadership,” said ASHA 2024 President Tena McNamara, Au.D. “This bill removes unnecessary barriers and brings much-needed parity in how audiologists are recognized and reimbursed for their critical services.”
Organizations Unite to Advocate for Improved Medicare Access
The three national organizations collectively emphasized the urgency of passing H.R. 2757, pointing to the widespread impact of untreated hearing and balance disorders among older adults—including links to depression, social isolation, and cognitive decline.
“We look forward to advancing the Medicare Audiology Access Improvement Act (H.R. 2757), and ensuring that audiologists can provide the full range of Medicare-covered diagnostic and treatment services that correspond to their scope of practice, just as they do under other programs and payers, so that seniors receive more appropriate, timely, and cost-effective audiologic care,” the organizations stated in a joint release.
ASHA, AAA, and ADA expressed their appreciation to Representatives Bilirakis and Mullin for recognizing audiologists’ role in addressing serious health conditions and pledged to mobilize stakeholders in support of the bill’s passage.
Source: ASHA, AAA, ADA
