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This year
there were two bills introduced in the Missouri legislature that
would have required insurance companies doing business in Missouri
to provide coverage for hearing aids for dependent children. Those
bills were HB 282, sponsored by Representative Danielle Moore, and
SB 274, sponsored by Senator Harold Caskey. Both of these bills were
introduced in January, referred to relevant committees, had public
hearings, and were voted "Do Pass" by those committees. However, the
bills were never reported out by the chairs of those committees
(Representative Roy Holand is chair of the House Health Care Policy
Committee, and Senator John Loudon is chair of the Senate Small
Business, Insurance and Industrial Relations Committee). Thus both
bills died without ever coming up for a vote by the full House and
Senate. The Missouri Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing
will consider having similar bills introduced again next year after
we have had an opportunity to learn more about the reasons for
opposition to the bills. |
