Washington, D.C.—Today, Rep. David B. McKinley, P.E. (R-WV), completed another full week of meeting with constituents in the First District and at his office in Washington, D.C. on issues important to those with hearing impairments and intellectual disabilities.

“Just because Congress is in recess doesn’t mean our work is,” said Rep. McKinley. “Today we met in Washington on a critical issue directly affecting the hearing impaired, something I have first-hand knowledge of in my own life.”

Recently, Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) proposed a rule that would eliminate longstanding Medicare coverage for osseointegrated “prosthetic” implants that are implanted in the skull and replace the function of the middle ear, such as the Cochlear Baha® System.

“Today we met with CMS officials and representatives of The ARC to discuss how to maintain the ability for thousands of the hearing impaired to have access to this life-changing system,” added McKinley.

More than 360 million people live with a disabling hearing loss. For some of these patients, a surgically prescribed and implanted solution such as the Baha System is the only effective treatment. By eliminating coverage of these implanted hearing systems, CMS’s Proposed Rule would effectively block access to this life-changing approach for Medicare patients for whom no alternative treatment exists.